Fetrie Family Goes Into Hiding... For fear Of Attack
Wednesday December 17, 2008
By John Vigah
FOR threatening to expose officials at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports and the National Sports Council (NSC) over unpaid monies due him, skipper of Ghana’s Weightlifting Team which took part in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, Bernard Fetrie, has rather found himself behind the eight ball.
Bernard spearheaded Ghana to a historic gold medal in the 77 weight category – silverware snatched by his brother – Majeti Fetrie.
In the lead-up to the games, Bernard, according to Times Sports investigations, pre-financed the re-habilitation of a weightlifting platform and the clearing of the sport’s equipment from the Tema Harbour – with an undertaking by the authorities to reimburse him in Melbourne.
However, the pledge was not fulfilled and this led to Bernard instigating to stage a boycott of the games “unless I was paid the full amount owed me.”
The skipper’s reaction did not go down well with the officials who were alleged to have threatened to lock him up on his return to Ghana for exposing them – a situation that compelled Bernard to rather seek protection in Australia, the host country.
Bernard may have been ‘let off the hook’ but snippets of information reaching this reporter suggest his family and siblings keep receiving death threats and harassment on the phone from officials of the NSC and the Ghana Weightlifting Association (GWA).
Bernard’s mum, Mrs Rose Kpodo Fetrie, told the Times Sports a fortnight ago that “we have reported the constant threats to the police but nothing seem to have come out of it.”
The poor woman, a devout Catholic, has since the unpleasant incident lost the husband Mr Raphael Fetrie – who passed on in September 2007.
The deceased, according to the widow, died of heart failure as result of “persistent harassment from the officials."
Reports reaching this paper indicate that Bernard’s family has ‘escaped’ to an unknown destination for fear of their lives.
Meanwhile, NSC deputy Chief Executive, Mr Charles Ayeh, confided to this paper that "there are some monies to be paid to Bernard."
Posted under
Sports
Comments
