Brazil 2014 budget sparks controversy

Law Professor, H. Kwasi Prempeh says Ghanaians must demand accountability from the government on the budget for the country’s participation in the 2014 World Cup.

The gold and cocoa producing West African country of 25 million people spent US$19.5 million for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

An estimated amount of US$20 million dollars is being bandied about as the likely budget for the 2014 Brazil campaign.

But barely days after Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, after failing to appear before the Senate to defend a proposed budget of US$9.5 million for the Super Eagles’ World Cup campaign, the Ghanaian Law Professor, wondered if Ghanaians will watch aloof, while their government and the country’s Football Association “collude and make away with the cocoa farmers' $20 million, claiming that's how much the nation must spend to compete in the World Cup”.

According to Prof Prempeh, while Nigerians consider the US$9.5 million – which is about half of what Ghana spent on the 2010 World Cup and likely to spend on Brazil 2014 – as “extravagant” and “outrageous enough to earn the accountability-defying Sports Minister a sack”, “in poorer Ghana, the politicians, in alliance with our clever sports bureaucrats, are determined to get away with more than twice that amount, just as they have with Merchant Bank/Fortiz, GYEEDA and every other scam and deal they have cooked.”

He asked: “What is the supposed budget for Ghana's participation in the World Cup? And could we get a similar reaction or result here?”

The Law Professor wrote on his facebook page that the Government and the GFA will justify the expenditure by telling Ghanaians why the Black Stars of Ghana are not the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Prof Prempeh added: “…And international soccer being the opium of the masses, we seem ready to fall for that nonsense!”

“We are too easy to misrule! I think I would rather continue to pay my taxes to Uncle Sam!”

Proposed budgets for a few of the 32 countries going for Brazil 2014

The US football Federation’s World Cup budget for Brazil is listed at US$2 million although the amount may increase.

Algeria has proposed US$5.8 million; One million of the mount will be received from sponsorship.

Belgium on December 12 announced an allocation of €4.5 million for the national team for Brazil 2014.