FA Boss, Sports Minister Dig At Each Other In Public

The two most powerful figures in Ghana sports are slugging it out in an unprecedented public display of disagreement over the dipping fortunes of Ghana football.Ghana Football Association chairman Mr. Ben Koufie and Youth and Sports minister Edward Osei Kweku have been having a go at each other in the wake of Ghana’s failure to qualify for the world U-17 and 20 FIFA Championships over the weekend.

The U-17 side the Starlets who were world champions in 1991 and 1993 lost out to Kenya in the World cup qualifier while the U-20, side failed to make the last four of the African Youth Cup which would have earned them a place at the FIFA U-20 world cup where they were losing finalist last two years later this year.

Mr. Koufie who has repeatedly cited low inflow of cash from the Ministry of Youth and Sports as the reason for Ghana’s failure to do well on the international football scene was at it again after the defeat to the Starlets and Satellites.

Mr. Koufie told LUV FM in Kumasi that Ghana has not been doing well lately in football because the motivation for the players to do well is simply not there. “Bonuses are not paid on time, camp allowances take long in coming so the players are not motivated to die for the nation”, Mr. Koufie said.

Not surprisingly, the FA boss of the last two years thinks his administration has done nothing wrong. Hitherto, it was said that we didn’t plan. “Now we plan but we are always constrained by monetary considerations”.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports provides funding for most sporting activities in Ghana including football. Mr. Koufie said the ministry has been slow most often with the excuse that the Ministry of finance delays in releasing the necessary funds.

So the FA boss is advocating that Ghana withdraws from all international football competitions until a time when the ministry would be more willing to pump money into the development of the game.

The Minister of Youth and sports calls that position “porous” and one that “doesn’t hold water”. “Ask him if we owe any of the national teams. Every time we lose a game, the FA chairman tries to blame it on us. That attitude of finding scapegoats won’t move us forward”.