Ghana FA suspend all organised soccer after police raid

Accra: Ghana’s Football Association (GFA) suspended all organised soccer in the country on Friday after a turbulent week in which their headquarters were raided and FIFA warned of suspension for the World Cup quarter-finalists.

The GFA said there would be no matches in the country until police complete investigations into the association’s activities. Plain-clothed officers from the country’s Economic and Organised Crime Unit (EOCU) raided the GFA headquarters on Tuesday and removed nine computers and took the mobile phones of some staff. The GFA said this had brought it to an administrative standstill and prompted world soccer’s governing body FIFA to warn government authorities to stop interfering. On Wednesday, the Ghanaian clubs voted to pull their members out of the league, bringing domestic football in the West African nation to a standstill. “The Executive Committee of the Ghana Football Association has endorsed the decision of the GHALCA (Ghana League Clubs Association) to suspend all football related matters until further notice,” the GFA said in a statement. “The Premier and Division One Leagues as well as FA Cup have been suspended. All national team assignments have also been put on hold. We ask for your understanding and co-operation on these matters.” FIFA, which briefly suspended Nigeria over political interference in the sport in October, has referred the matter to its emergency committee, which has the power to impose a suspension, if the situation does not change by Sunday. Bureau Report