ACCRA: Kwesi Nyantakyi, president of the Ghana Football Association, has come out in support of the FIFA ethics committee in its decision to suspend Sepp Blatter, Jerome Valcke and Michel Platini.

Presidents Blatter of the world governing body and Platini of the European federation UEFA plus FIFA secretary-general Valcke were debarred from all football activities last Wednesday pending investigations into misconduct and worse.

Nyantakyi, who voted for Blatter at the FIFA presidential last May, said the ethics committee had acted correctly in the wake of allegations from the Office of the Swiss Attorney-General.

He said: “I;m surprised that events like this are unfolding at FIFA. It’s a big shock to all of us.

“It doesn’t portend well for the image of the organisation but anything that happens happens for a good reason. We have to welcome it and hope that if they are investigating wrongdoings then the appropriate sanctions would have to be applied.

I think that FIFA must be commended rather than condemned in these current circumstances because the body is taking the bull by the horn by trying to address the issues and, with any scintilla of evidence against anybody, I don’t think the person will be spared.”

Nyantakyi also had no doubt that Platini’s potential bid for the FIFA presidency was in serious doubt, adding: “It make it difficult for him to become a candidate for the upcoming elections.”

African confederation president Issa Hayatou has been named as FIFA’s interim president. This could mean CAF’s first vice-president Suketu Patel, stepping up as interim head of the African governing body.

** Suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter has told Swiss media that he is ‘feeling good’ and will ‘keep fighting’

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