Lawyers of Dreams FC have succeeded in rubbishing the commenced appeal proceedings of the Ghana FA in the original protest case involving Tema Youth following the FA's decision to serve the club before proceeding with the case.
Solicitors of the Kweiman-Dawu-based club – Minkah Premo & Co - in a strong-worded letter to the GFA last week, identified several loopholes in the proceedings that was ultimately boycotted by invited officials of Dreams FC.
The GFA as per its regulations, are to serve all parties in a legal dispute, through its official channels within a clearly defined period before the case is heard.
The Appeals Committee however went ahead to hear arguments of Tema Youth and Amidaus Professionals in two separate sittings without service to Dreams FC as required by the GFA regulations.
The GFA in an attempt to rectify this major infraction have now written to officially serve Dreams FC even after the appeals committee have gone ahead to hear arguments.
“We refer to a letter from your solicitors, Minkah-Premo & Co dated November 11, 2016,” a GFA letter addressed to the President of Dreams FC read.
“We have taken note of the concerns raised with regards to the mode of service in line with Article 37 (4) of the GFA General Regulations, and we wish to accordingly provide you with the statement of Case of Tema Youth FC and other related documents concerning this matter….”
It is unclear whether this basic infraction of the Ghana FA serves enough grounds to render all the work done by the newly constituted appeals committee null and void.
The situation leaves the GFA in a quagmire as to how to further proceed on the case as directed by the Court of Arbitration for Sports especially following the myriad of legal objections raised by lawyers of Dreams FC.
It also remains to be seen of officials of Dreams FC will now avail themselves to the appeal proceedings now that the club has been properly served.
Dreams FC’s status as a Premier League club is primarily being challenged by Tema Youth who are alleging fraud in the registration of two Dreams FC players way back in the 2014/15 season.
This has led to suggestions to have the number of clubs in the Premier League increased to accommodate Tema Youth as the way forward due to what appears to be a very complex legal tussle.