Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwesi Nyantakyi says the 2018 “Number 12” investigative exposé caused lasting damage to his personal life and professional reputation.Speaking in an interview, Mr Nyantakyi described the impact of the undercover investigation by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas as “irreparable,” stating that although he bore no personal grudge, the consequences continued to affect him.
“The damage is irreparable, but I don’t have anything against him. He should relax. If his conscience is battling with him, it’s between him and God,” he said. He recounted the emotional strain the exposé placed on his family, revealing that his daughter, who was nine years old at the time, questioned him after hearing reports on the radio. “My daughter was in GIS at that time, and she asked whether it was true that I was a thief. Imagine a judgment coming from your own child,” Mr Nyantakyi said.
According to him, the revelations damaged his public image, led to social stigma, and disrupted professional opportunities.“The condescending posture of some people towards you… they see you as a condemned criminal. The aura of respectability around you is broken. It was very damning,” he noted.Mr Nyantakyi expressed gratitude to friends who supported him through the difficult period and highlighted the social and psychological consequences of the scandal.
The “Number 12” investigation, which aired in 2018, exposed widespread corruption in Ghanaian football, triggered reforms within the GFA, and resulted in the banning of several football officials.