Legon Cities hit with transfer ban over GH¢29K debt to former player
By DL News
Published
Updated
2 min read
The club was previously instructed by the GFA’s Players’ Status Committee, and later its Disciplinary Committee, to clear salary arrears covering October 2021 to October 2022
Legon Cities FC has been barred from signing new players after failing to settle a GH¢29,000 compensation owed to former player Francis Nuer Addo. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) confirmed that the transfer ban—effective both locally and internationally—will take full effect in the 2025/26 season.
The club was previously instructed by the GFA’s Players’ Status Committee, and later its Disciplinary Committee, to clear salary arrears covering October 2021 to October 2022. An instalment plan was offered, requiring payments of GH¢10,000 in December 2024 and January 2025, and a final GH¢9,000 by February 23, 2025. However, the club defaulted on all three deadlines.
Despite receiving multiple warnings, Legon Cities failed to meet its obligations. The GFA imposed a GH¢5,000 fine and warned of automatic sanctions under Article 15 of the GFA Disciplinary Code. These included a transfer ban and a three-point deduction for every league or FA Cup match played after the February 2025 deadline.
Although the point deduction has not yet been enforced, the transfer embargo now stands, restricting the club from registering new players for the upcoming season unless the debt is cleared.
The matter gained renewed attention after Francis Addo, supported by the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana (PFAG), petitioned the GFA. In a June 19 letter, he criticised the association for failing to enforce its own rules, particularly when other clubs like Nsoatreman FC had already been sanctioned for similar offences.
Addo argued that the GFA’s inaction undermines the integrity of the league, discourages investment, and endangers the careers of potential new signees unaware of the transfer restrictions. He called for immediate publication of all clubs under transfer bans and demanded a revision of the league table to reflect matches that Legon Cities should have forfeited.
With the club already relegated to Division One at the end of the 2024/25 season, the new sanction compounds their struggles ahead of the next campaign. Addo’s appeal has now been extended to the Ministry of Sports and the National Sports Authority to push for fairness and transparency in Ghana football.
