Abraham Boakye suffers blow, Glo denies his role in sponsorship deal

Abraham Boayke has been dealt a humiliating blow after Glo told a court in Accra that he played no part in helping the Ghana Football Association (GFA) secure sponsorship from the Nigerian firm.

Glo also told the Accra High Court that they have not appointed Boakye, also known as One Man Supporter, to do any business on their behalf.

Boakye has taken the GFA to an Accra High Court claiming he brokered the deal for Glo to sponsor the local league and the Black Stars.

The leader of the GHANSU supporter group which is sponsored by Globacom – the parent company of the telecommunications giants Glo - went to court claiming brought officials of the company to Ghana to broker the deal worth US$15m.

Boakye, who was appointed as a branding ambassador for Glo, was only chosen to wear the company’s paraphernalia at football matches to promote the brand.

But he has gone to court saying he wants 15% commission of the $15m paid to him as agency fee and claims he was cheated by the GFA as he brought the Nigerian officials to meet the GFA therefore he brokered the deal.

However, the Nigerian firm has delivered an embarrassing blow to his ambitions of getting the commission insisting to the court that Boakye played no role.

“This agreement (we have with Boakye) is the agreement that you find with people like Nadia Buari, Van Viker, all these ambassadors that Glo had,” Sulaiman Kolawole Bello, the advertising manager of Glo told the Accra High Court while explaining the agreement the company has with Boakye.

“It does not involve them in our business in any manner to negotiate on our behalf or to sign any contract on our behalf or to facilitate anything on our behalf. What they have is the branding agreement.”

“He is the branding ambassador; an ambassador whose job is to wear GLO colors to appear at matches.

“Generally to keep his presence on behalf of the company and am sure he must have a contract to that effect.”

At the crux of his legal battle against the GFA was Boakye’s assertion that he brought officials of the Nigerian company to Ghana to sponsor the Black Stars and the local league.

But Glo said they were already interested in sponsoring Ghana football as part of their marketing strategy for the start of their Ghana operations insisting they have no contract with Boakye as their marketing agency.

“GLOBACOM was already sponsoring the league in Nigeria and was already sponsoring the Super Eagles of Nigeria and because GLOBACOM wanted to start a business in Ghana was the reason why GLOBACOM sponsored the GHALCA top four,” Bello told the court.

“This was the reason why GLOBACOM appointed many individual as ambassadors, you know musicians, actors and all those people and it was the reason why we were sent to Ghana to also come and get the Premier League and the Black Stars.

“I do not think that somebody will come to a company as big as GLOBACOM and bring GLOBACOM to Ghana. But if anybody has that that would be an agency and I am sure they have a letter to that effect.”

Boakye or his company ABN marketing has no letter appointing him the marketing agency for Glo or the GFA.

The revelation is likely to weigh against Boakye who has been fighting this case since last year.

One Man supporter, who is chairman of the Ghana National Supporters Union (GHANSU) and also a Glo Ambassador, is being represented by BCMS Consulting II, a legal firm located at Bonsu Street, Kokomlemle in Accra.