A Swing In The Favor Of Ken Agyapong As BBC Denies Collaboration With Anas On The Number 12 Documentary?
The British Broadcasting Corporation [BBC] has reportedly denied the claim that it commissioned Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ investigation into corruption in African football.
This was communicated in a correspondence between the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa [MFWA], Sulemana Braimah and the BBC over the role played by the British media powerhouse in the production of the video.
A five-minute excerpt of the video shown to President Akufo-Addo prior to its public screening led to the President lodging a complaint with the police for the arrest of the then GFA President, Kwesi Nyantakyi.
Reacting to the public announcement for the arrest of the Nyantakyi, Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul-Malik Kwaku Baako suggested that the investigative piece was a collaboration between Anas’ Tiger Eye PI and the BBC.
Speaking on Kwame Sefa Kayi’s ‘Kokrokoo’ morning show, Baako disclosed that the arrest order was a breach of a confidentiality agreement which got Anas and his partners, including the BBC, very disappointed.
Baako said “indeed I can tell you that the BBC is disappointed that this happened. I was disappointed, Anas disappointed because none of us knew that there was going to be a response, I got to know after the recent event had taken place”.
In suggesting that the investigative piece was a joint Tiger Eye-BBC project, Baako said “So if anyone succeeds in placing any form of injunction on this particular project on Wednesday [June 6], it will be shown outside the country on BBC. This is an exercise in futility. If they don’t want us to show it here [in Ghana], we know where to seek that relief”.
The BBC showed the documentary around the same time of Anas’ premiere which led many to believe that the investigative piece may have been sponsored by the powerful British media house-a claim Anas Aremeyaw Anas dismissed when he granted interviews to Joy FM, Starr FM and Fiifi Anaman of Kwese Free Sports.
In an emailed response to Braimah’s inquiry, the BBC denied collaborating with Anas citing that they neither collaborated with Anas nor commissioned the investigative piece.
The BBC asserted that they only wrote a report documentary which they titled ‘Betraying The Game’ which is an independent and impartial report on the investigative work by Anas, adding that they neither sanctioned nor sponsored it.
“Contrary to any reports or rumors you may have heard or seen prior to publication stating ‘Number 12’ was a product of a collaborative work by the BBC and the journalist [Anas Aremeyaw Anas], this was not the case”.
“The BBC documentary, ‘Betraying The Game’ broadcast after ‘Number 12’which was put into the public domain, was an independent and impartial work and a report about Mr. Anas’ investigation.”
“The BBC played no part whatsoever in his investigation and has never sought to suggest otherwise. Mr. Anas is not a BBC journalist, we did not work with him during his investigation or commission him to carry out this investigation”, read the BBC’s reply on Monday, the 16th of July 2018 as shared by Braimah on his Facebook Page.
On his Facebook page, Braimah attested to the fact that Anas had already denied Mr. Baako’s claim of collaborating with the BBC for the Number 12 investigative piece.
Realistically, whether the investigative piece was a collaboration between Anas or not is irrelevant to the effect the investigative piece has had on African Football. FIFA and CAF has since suspended former GFA President, Kwesi Nyantakyi whiles the Confederation of African Football [CAF] has also suspended the referees caught taking bribes in the video.
In any case, Anas Aremeyaw Anas never categorically stated that he was sponsored or collaborated with the BBC.
We will be jokers if we think that the BBC’s assertion of what Anas had already denied implies a dent on the credibility of Anas or the Number 12 investigative piece. In any case, will FIFA and CAF be that “silly” to act on a video which lacks merit or credibility?
Anas is a human being and is in no case infallible but currently, no substantive evidence has been leveled against him which qualifies to be used as a leverage against his credibility.
