body-container-line-1

Ghana Football: Sports Ministry admits sour relationship with GFA

By Allsports.com.gh
Sports News Ghana Football: Sports Ministry admits sour relationship with GFA
JUN 30, 2016 LISTEN

The Ministry of Youth and Sports has admitted that they have sour relationship with the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

There seem to be misunderstanding over who owns the national teams after the Sports Ministry wrote to the GFA demanding that they are notified in all contracts and memorandum regarding friendly matches of the Black Stars and all other national teams.

Some officials of the FA claim the Sports Ministry cannot be included in the FA negotiations with other federations for national team matches because the national teams are not for the state.

Hon. Nii Lantey Vanderpuye told the FA to write to him officially to substantiate such claims or challenge him in court.

'If any member of the Ghana FA feels otherwise, they can write to me or go to court and say that I am claiming what constitutionally is not my mandate and authority -- so they can go to court and restrain me from taking that path," he said.

'I will not hesitate to take the most serious decision in the interest of Ghana football and Ghanaians if that thing happens again, I have got an informal response but it will be better for them to put it on paper so that we can continue a very healthy relationship," he added

Officials of the Ghana FA are adamant there is bad blood between the two bodies, but Hon. Vincent Oppong Asamoah has confessed they don't have the best of ties with each other.

According to him, the Ministry will be compelled to stop financing the national teams due to the stands of the FA. He is of the opinion that the Sports Ministry should have say in any dealings of the FA involving all national teams since they invest resources into the teams.

"We have not had the best of relationships with the Ghana Football Association of late due to their stand. There have been a lot of misunderstanding because some of us feel the Black Stars and any of the national teams belong to the state," Mr. Oppong Asamoah opined in an interview with Kumasi-based radio station, Nhyira FM.

"There wouldn't be any misunderstanding if the Ministry and FA agree that all national teams belong to the state. I am of the opinion of the that if something belongs to the state, it is the responsibility of the government to take care of it.

"Government invest its resources, so we should have a say. But if they feel that the teams do not belong to the state, then I think we must not continue to invest our resources into the teams," he opined.

body-container-line