High Court ends 13-year amputee football dispute with ruling in favour of NSA and NPC Ghana

One of the longest-running legal disputes in Ghanaian sport has come to an end after the High Court ruled in favour of the National Sports Authority (NSA) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) Ghana (NPC Ghana), bringing a 13-year governance battle over amputee football to a close.

The ruling affirms the authority of the NSA and NPC Ghana over the governance and official recognition of amputee football within Ghana’s national sports framework.

Delivering judgment in the case, Ghana Amputee Football Federation v. National Sports Authority & Others, at Commercial Court 6, Justice Jerome Noble-Nkrumah dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims in their entirety, ruling that the case presented by the NSA and NPC Ghana was more convincing. The Court also granted the reliefs sought in the defendants’ counterclaim.

The Court awarded GH¢60,000 in costs to each of the NSA and NPC Ghana, although the two institutions had sought GH¢250,000 and GH¢200,000, respectively.

A key aspect of the ruling was the issuance of perpetual orders against the Ghana Amputee Football Federation (GAFF) and five individuals—Francis Adjetey Sowah, Charles Narh Teye, John Kuku Dsane, Philip Cecil Richter and Benjamin Charles Armah—restraining them, in accordance with the terms of the judgment, from associating themselves with amputee sport in Ghana.

The judgment effectively ends a dispute that has dominated the administration of amputee football in Ghana for more than a decade.

Court records, official correspondence, witness statements and institutional documents presented during the proceedings show that the dispute dates back to 2013–2014, when disagreements emerged over which institution had the legal mandate to administer amputee football in Ghana.

Over the years, the disagreement developed into one of the country’s longest-running sports governance disputes, involving multiple court cases, competing institutional claims, government intervention and correspondence with international sporting bodies.

The litigation focused on key issues, including which institution had the legal authority to administer amputee football, the recognition of competing organisations, the legitimacy of governance structures and elections, and the powers of Ghana’s national sports institutions under the country’s sports governance framework.

Throughout the proceedings, the NSA and NPC Ghana maintained that amputee football falls under Ghana’s recognised national sports governance structure.

Court documents also show that while the substantive case was still before the court, the Commercial Division of the High Court directed the then Ministry of Youth and Sports to develop measures to ensure Ghana’s participation in international amputee football competitions.

Following submissions by the Ministry, the Court approved a structured roadmap that enabled Ghana to compete at the Amputee Football World Cup while preserving the integrity of the pending litigation. The roadmap was implemented under the supervision of the Ministry, with recognised roles assigned to the Samson Deen-led NPC Ghana.

The ruling is expected to bring clarity to the governance of amputee football and strengthen Ghana’s sports administration by resolving years of uncertainty over institutional authority.

With the legal battle now concluded, attention is expected to shift towards rebuilding the sport, strengthening governance structures and creating a united platform to support the development of amputee football and Ghanaian athletes on both the national and international stage.

A detailed analysis of the Court’s judgment and its implications for sports governance in Ghana is expected after the full written decision has been reviewed.

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