The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has issued a strict directive to Accra Hearts of Oak, demanding full payment of over GHS 100,000 owed to former player Francis Adjetey by July 7, 2025 ; or face an automatic transfer ban.
The move comes after FIFA raised concerns over the GFA’s failure to fully enforce a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), prompting disciplinary pressure from the global football body.
Following a meeting on June 24, the GFA’s Disciplinary Committee concluded that Hearts must immediately pay GHS 106,477.42, the outstanding balance due to Adjetey. The club is also required to pay an additional 5% annual interest on the amount, effective from September 15, 2023, until the date the payment is completed.
Further financial penalties include a CHF 1,000 payment to cover Adjetey’s legal fees as awarded by CAS and a GHS 20,000 fine imposed on Hearts for failing to comply with the original decision.
Hearts now face a final deadline: complete all payments by July 7, or suffer an automatic transfer ban that would block both domestic and international deals until the debt is cleared.
The GFA made it clear that these measures will take effect without further notice or hearings should the club fail to comply.
This action is a direct response to FIFA’s June 3 warning letter, in which its Legal and Compliance Division cited the GFA for potential violation of Article 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code which mandates compliance with judicial decisions.
FIFA had threatened to withhold 20% of the GFA’s next FIFA Forward installment if the CAS ruling remained unenforced. Should delays persist, further deductions could follow, and the matter could be escalated to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for harsher sanctions.