The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has moved to enforce a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), ordering Hearts of Oak to pay its former player, Francis Adjetey over GHC 100,000 by July 7, 2025.
The Disciplinary Committee took the decision on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, after FIFA threatened the GFA with severe sanctions including withholding of 20% of the next FIFA Forward funds to the FA until the debt is fully paid for failing to fully comply with the CAS ruling.
Hearts of Oak has been ordered to pay the full outstanding amount of GHS 106,477.42 to Adjetey, with an additional five percent interest per annum from September 15, 2023, until the date of final payment.
The club has also been instructed to pay CHF 1,000 towards the player’s legal expenses, as originally awarded by the CAS.
The Committee further fined Hearts of Oak GHS 20,000 for failing to comply with the CAS decision within the required time frame. The club has been given a final deadline of July 7, 2025, to fully settle all outstanding amounts.
Failure to comply will result in an automatic transfer ban, both within Ghana and internationally, until the debt is fully cleared.
The GFA has also cautioned the club to strictly adhere to this directive, noting that the enforcement measures will be applied automatically without further hearings if the payments are not made by the deadline.
This enforcement follows FIFA’s recent disciplinary proceedings against the GFA.
In a letter dated June 3, 2025, FIFA’s Legal and Compliance Division accused the GFA of failing to fully respect the CAS decision, which constitutes a potential breach of Article 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
FIFA proposed that 20 percent of the GFA’s next FIFA Forward instalment will be withheld if the outstanding payments are not settled within a final 30-day deadline.
The governing body indicated that further instalments could be withheld if the non-compliance persists and that the matter may be referred to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for additional measures.
FIFA gave the GFA the opportunity to either accept the proposed sanction or submit a formal response, including any supporting documents. If the GFA fails to respond, the proposed sanction will become final and binding.
The GFA’s latest action to enforce the CAS ruling against Hearts of Oak appears to be an attempt to address the issue and prevent further sanctions from FIFA.