The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is set to constitute its delayed Public Interest Committee (PIC) by the close of the year, but the real showdown with government will be over who will have the majority in the five-member team.
The FA has already proposed a 3-2 representation in favour of it, but Kojo Bonsu, a former football administrator, on whose call the FA has apparently hastened the need to form the PIC, insists it should be 4-1 representation in favour of government.
The Executive Committee of the FA, the appointing authority of all Standing Order Committees, is scheduled to meet early this month to agree on its “powerful three-man” composition to form a union with government’s nominations to help check indiscipline and alleged corruption in football administration, among other things, more so as the Black Stars prepare for two major tournaments — the Nations Cup and World Cup — next year.
The PIC, as per the new FA statute, is to work in accordance with directives of the Executive Committee of the FA and Ministry of Sports in formulating policies necessary for building all national teams and working together to help provide the needed facilities for the teams.
Mr Bonsu told the Graphic Sports that Article 70 of the FA Statute only states a five-member committee and not the representation, stressing that it would be unfair for government, which is the main sponsor of all the national teams, to have less say in how its resources were managed.
He said the situation calls for dialogue between the FA and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (representing) to agree on the figures but definitely government must form the majority.
Citing a tenant and a landlord scenario, Mr Bonsu questioned the moral grounds for the FA in demanding to have a major stake in someone’s resources.
He believes that the FA, that is only a fiduciary body of government purse, must not attempt to impose its wishes on the state, but must be prepared to rather dialogue.
But FA Spokesman, Randy Abbey, said the 3-2 proposal is already known, and since government does not directly appoint members to the committee, it is important that there is lobbying, rather than one party trying to have an entrenched position.
Indeed, the two parties seem to have agreed in principle to the formation of the PIC but the bottleneck is who constitute the membership, and the ratio.
Both parties are holding the names of their nominees close to their chest but Mr Abbey said it would be “a powerful three-man team.”
The Minister of Sports, Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, is expected to name the team soon but could not also say who and who would constitute the government team.
The Minister told the Graphic Sports when contacted that the FA had not been convincing enough on why it insists on the 3-2 representation in its favour and had requested a meeting with the FA to agree on the figures.
“It is the wish of government to have a majority representation that is why I have invited them for us to dialogue,” Mr Pelpuo said.
The Minister quoting the FA, said the 3-2 formation was agreed on by FIFA since 2005 “and that is why I have requested for the FIFA protocol on the “power sharing” to be better placed to speak for government.”
Meanwhile, “FIFA has written to the FA, to brief it on the current happenings in Ghana football, and whether there is government interference,” an unimpeachable source hinted the Graphic Sports.
The paper has also learnt that the FA has already told FIFA there is no government interference, but rather interference from “certain individuals and personalities.”
Mr Bonsu last week caused a stir in a publication carried on the front page of the Daily Graphic when he questioned the delay in forming the PIC, more so when the other committees, such as Executive Committee and Emergency Committee, had long been formed, and called for a check on the FA. Share Your Thoughts on this article Name Email Location Comments Graphic Ghana may edit your comments and not all comments will be published
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