Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kwesi Nyantakyi has revealed that he was close to becoming president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) before his exit from football administration in 2018.
According to Nyantakyi, his rise within CAF positioned him as a likely successor to the presidency.
“It was very possible. At the time I exited CAF and football, I was the first vice president of the federation. I was the next most senior football official on the continent of Africa. So it was just a matter of course that if the president was not there, I was the most favourable person to step into his shoes,” he said.
Nyantakyi added that Ghana could have had a CAF president in him and that the opportunity remains open for future football administrators.
“So, Ghana would have had a CAF president. Although it is still possible. With the current regime of officers and the future, anybody who works hard can be the president,” he said.
Asked whether the scandal had hurt him personally, Nyantakyi said he had moved on.
“I am not hurt by anything like that. Life goes on. There are many opportunities in life for every individual,” he said.
Nyantakyi resigned in June 2018 following the release of the documentary Number 12, by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, which exposed widespread corruption in Ghanaian football.
The footage showed Nyantakyi accepting $65,000 from an undercover reporter posing as a businessman and claiming he could use his connections with then-President Nana Akufo-Addo to facilitate business interests.
The revelations sparked public outrage and led to Nyantakyi stepping down from his roles at the GFA, CAF, and FIFA. FIFA subsequently banned him for life in October 2018 for breaching ethics and anti-corruption regulations, though the sanction was later reduced to 15 years.
Criminal charges in Ghana were eventually dropped in February 2025 after prosecutors were unable to secure testimony from key witnesses, including Anas, who refused to testify without his mask for security reasons.
