Sports Ministry must raise $2.8m to take 500 supporters to Brazil

The Sports Ministry has waged a massive fund raising campaign to rake in enough resources to take at least 500 fans to Brazil to support the Black Stars.

The Ministry must raise Ghc8.5m (almost $2,850,000) in their bid to take 500 supporters to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, planning committee member Ben Nunoo-Mensah has revealed.

This campaign has been made necessary following government’s decision not to fund the transport of fans to June’s tournament as it has been done in previous competitions.

The Sports Ministry raised over Ghc 250,000 during the inaugural Presidential Ball held at the State Banquet Hall last week to bid the Black Stars farewell.

The monies raised plus others received through corporate donations, however, falls far below the expected amount required to take at least 500 supporters to Brazil.

“We need about Ghc8.5m to send about 500 supporters to Brazil so things are extremely tough,” Ghana’s World Cup Planning Committee member Ben Nunoo-Mensah told Metro FM.

“We are falling solely on corporate sponsorship since government has decided not to commit resources to this project of taking supporters to Brazil.

“But we don’t have that amount yet even though the sponsorship have been coming in gradually, but the quantum is not as much as we have anticipated.

“So things are quite difficult.”

The Sports Ministry is, however, expecting more donations with barely two weeks to the start of the World Cup in Brazil.

Thousands of fans were funded by the state to offer support to the Black Stars at the last World Cup four years ago in South Africa.

The state has, however, decided not to embark on such a project this term with public funds.