Minister gives GFA a month to implement probe recommendations

Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Minister of Youth and Sports has given the Ghana Football Association (GFA) up to the end of September to implement recommendations and findings of the government white paper on the Commission of Inquiry into International Player Transfers.

At a meeting with the Management Board of the GFA, the minister expressed concern that measures considered important to the development of football in the country had been ignored to the extent that months after government's white paper, certain personalities indicted by the report are still attached to the FA and managing clubs while monies due have also not been paid.

A statement signed by Mr Kofi Aggrey, Public relations officer of the ministry after the meeting said the minister singled out the FA because football is the passion of the nation adding, "any defeat of the national football team affects the performance of the nation in several respects."

Papa Ankomah reiterated his ministry's intension to stay out of the day-to-day running of the affairs of the GFA or any other association but stressed that this would depend on whether certain actions of the association would not threaten to put the ministry under pressure.

The minister identified the late presentation of programmes and the requisite budget estimates by the FA, which usually affects the preparation of national teams and directed that such submissions should be made three clear months in advance

He said a total of 7.5 billion cedis have so far been spent this year alone on our national teams and called on the FA to take steps toward attaining self-sufficiency mainly through sponsorship.

On the autonomy of the GFA, the Minister said it was government's intention of making it happen, but added that until that becomes a reality all parties in the game should be guided by SMCD 54 while his ministry studied the draft new sports policy.

Responding, Mr A.Y. Ibrahim, Chairman of the Executive Council of the GFA pleaded with the Ministry to consider committing the municipal and district assemblies to rehabilitating the stadiums in their communities and also ease the burden placed on the clubs by exempting tem from the payment of the Value Added Tax (VAT).

Present at the meeting were Mr Joe Aggrey, Deputy Minister, Mr K.A. Gyarteng chief director of the Ministry and Brigadier George Brock, Acting Chief executive of the National Sport Council (NSC).

Also present were Mr Ben Koufie, GFA chairman, Mr J Y Appiah and Mr Kudjoe Fianoo, chairman and Administrative chairman of Ghalca respectively and other members of the management board.