Former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi has opened up about the devastating toll he endured after being implicated in the Number 12 exposé, revealing that even close friends abandoned him in his time of struggle.
The explosive investigative documentary, led by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and premiered in June 2018, exposed alleged corruption within Ghanaian football.
The footage showed Nyantakyi accepting $65,000 from an undercover reporter posing as a businessman.
As a result, FIFA handed him a lifetime ban from all football-related activities, and then-Attorney General Gloria Akuffo filed formal charges against him, including conspiracy to commit fraud, in 2018.
After the former Vice President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) was acquitted by the Accra High Court on February 13, 2025, he has now shared how the case deeply affected him.
“It’s not a pleasant experience. When you’re faced with a problem, you quickly realize who your true supporters are. Even friends can turn their backs on you, leaving you stressed and overwhelmed. The financial burden of court proceedings is substantial,” he said in an interview with Kessben FM.
Despite the hardships, Nyantakyi credited his faith in God for helping him endure the long legal battle.
“The Lord I serve has been my strength throughout this challenging experience. I’ve seen people take their own lives due to loan defaults, and what I went through would have been unbearable without God’s guidance,” he added.
Nyantakyi served as GFA President from 2006 until his resignation in 2018. His tenure saw Ghana qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2006, marking a historic milestone for the nation.
Meanwhile watch this explainer on the dismissal of the No. 12 corruption case after Anas refused to testify without mask
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