“The damage is irreversible” — Kwesi Nyantakyi opens up on life after Anas’ ‘Number 12’ exposé
6th January 2026
Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwesi Nyantakyi has spoken candidly about the lasting scars left by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ 2018 Number 12 exposé, describing its impact on his life as permanent and deeply personal.
Appearing on The AM Show, Nyantakyi reflected on the fallout from the undercover investigation that rocked Ghanaian football, insisting that while he harbours no bitterness toward Anas, the consequences of the exposé can never be undone.
“The damage is irreparable,” he said. “But I don’t have anything against him. He should relax. If his conscience is troubling him, that’s between him and God.”
Beyond the professional collapse that followed his lifetime ban from football administration, Nyantakyi revealed the profound emotional toll the scandal took on his family—particularly a moment involving his young daughter that still haunts him.
“At the time, my daughter was nine years old and attending GIS,” he recounted. “One day she asked me, ‘Daddy, is it true you’re a thief?’ I was shocked. She told me she heard it on the radio. Imagine being judged like that by your own child.”
Nyantakyi said moments like that underscored how deeply the exposé damaged not just his career, but his dignity and standing in society.
“The respect people once had for you disappears,” he explained. “You’re looked at as a condemned criminal. Even simple interactions become condescending. The aura around you is broken. It was devastating.”
He added that the stigma extended into areas of life far beyond football, closing doors and altering relationships in ways he never anticipated.
Despite the pain, Nyantakyi expressed appreciation for the friends and associates who stood by him during what he described as one of the darkest periods of his life, acknowledging the emotional and psychological weight of public disgrace.
The Number 12 investigation, which aired in 2018, exposed extensive corruption within Ghanaian football, capturing officials on hidden cameras allegedly accepting bribes and influencing match outcomes.
The revelations triggered sweeping reforms at the GFA and led to the banning of several administrators, marking one of the most dramatic shake-ups in the history of Ghanaian sports.
While the exposé reshaped football governance in the country, Nyantakyi’s reflections offer a rare glimpse into the human cost behind one of Ghana’s most consequential journalistic investigations.