Describing Mr Nyantakyi’s predicament as a national shame and embarrassment, Mr Vanderpuye said  in an interview on Accra-based Class FM that every Ghanaian, irrespective of his or her political inclination, ethnic background, status and gender, had been negatively affected by the FIFA sanction.

“What has now happened is a national shame and an embarrassment.

 This is because all of us have been affected. If people had seen me as someone who wanted to change how things were done at the GFA, I don’t think Anas would have done what he did.

“People were playing politics with Kwesi Nyantakyi’s issues and calling me names when I was the sports minister and wanted to ensure transparency and accountability in his administration,” Mr Vanderpuye explained.

According to him, he initiated moves to engage Mr Nyantakyi to turn things around to ensure transparency, accountability and teamwork in his administration to no avail.

“We were having series of talks, negotiations and meetings with eminent personalities in football, including Mr Akoto Bamfo, Ernest Thompson, Nana Fitz and Nana Butler, who were constantly talking to me and calling me on how to meet Nyantakyi to negotiate the change we desired.

“It was a move for a change that was based on negotiations and discussions, but the ultimate was to change how he and his GFA run football,” he revealed.

Asked if the change could have taken place when Mr Nyantakyi was still at the helm of affairs at the GFA, Mr Vanderpuye said he would have reasoned with him on the way he did things to make the operations of football more transparent and accountable.

“If there had been more accountability, more consultations and more negotiations, it would not have reached this stage.

 Football administration all over the world is run on these principles. It is a teamwork and not a one-man show.

 “One person cannot be the repository of all knowledge so far as football is concerned,” he noted.

He mentioned Messrs Sam Okyere, Zac Bentum, S.K. Mainoo Nana Sam Brew-Butler, Major (retd) Yaw Larson and Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe as personalities who run an open administration.

“Even Nyaho-Tamakloe who was seen as a revolutionary was seen as very consultative and very transparent,” he said.