Ex-Ghana FA boss' lifetime Fifa ban reduced to 15 years

Kwesi Nyantakyi was filmed taking thousands of dollars of cash and putting them into a bag

The lifetime ban of former Ghana Football Association president Kwesi Nyantakyi has been reduced to 15 years after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

A former Fifa Council member and vice-president of the Confederation of African Football, Nyantakyi was banned for life by Fifa in October 2018 for breaking bribery and corruption rules.

He was filmed taking $65,000 from an undercover reporter.

"Kwesi Nyantakyi is banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for a period of 15 years, commencing on 29 October 2018," Cas told BBC Sport Africa.

The Ghanaian's initial fine of 500,000 Swiss francs ($550,000) has also been reduced to 100,000 ($110,000) following a Cas ruling in April which has only recently come to light.

Nyantakyi, who expressed a desire to clear his name just days after the decision of Fifa's Ethics Committee, appealed to Cas in December 2018.

April's ruling can be appealed at the Swiss Federal Tribunal should Nyantakyi wish to do so.

"At the time of writing, Cas has not been informed that an appeal has been filed," the Switzerland-based organisation added.

Sting Operation

The film of Nyantakyi taking $65,000 was captured by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and BBC Africa's investigations unit, Africa Eye, received exclusive access to the footage.

Nyantakyi was pictured placing the "shopping money" into a black plastic bag from an undercover reporter pretending to be a businessman keen to invest in Ghanaian football.

He later agreed a sponsorship deal, invented by the reporters, which could have enabled million of dollars supposedly destined for the Ghana FA (GFA), which had presided over since 2005, to be diverted to one of his own companies.

Nyantakyi has claimed the footage was doctored to falsely incriminate him.

The second most powerful man in African football at the time of the sting resigned as GFA president shortly after the film was made public in June 2018.

The BBC has contacted Nyantakyi for comment.