GFA to descend on companies who deal with Black Stars illegally

Accra, Jan. 26, GNA - The Black Stars Fund Raising and Sponsorship Committee is taking a serious view of companies who use the names of the players of the national team, its logo and production of paraphernalia without recourse to the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

It has therefore, promised to deal ruthlessly with such offending companies.

The Committee has given such companies up to February 15, this year, to regularize their activities with the FA or brace themselves up for a legal battle.

A source told the GNA Sports on Thursday that the Committee has observed that ever since the Black Stars qualified for their maiden World Cup appearance to be staged in Germany in June, lots of companies have taken undue advantage of the situation to make undeserved money. The source said it was unprofessional and against the ethics of marketing to use somebody's works without recourse to such individuals. The source said it was high time companies and individuals begun to respect the rights or works of others and not take things for granted. The Committee said it was sad that a lot of these unauthorized people were using Premier Clubs as "moneymaking machines", by producing replica jerseys and other paraphernalia of such clubs without prior approval adding, "all stakeholders mu st help to streamline things, after all, we don't live in a jungle."

In a related development, the Ministry of Education and Sports has warned companies who were promising soccer fans World Cup tickets for patronizing their products, saying, it contravened FIFA rules. A letter from FIFA, dated December 8, last year, to all soccer federations admonished the various FA's to prevent all individuals and companies who promised tickets as a way of advertisement, sales or promotional purposes or as sweepstake or part of an unauthorized hospitality or travel package.

"FIFA has not authorized any company or entity to use tickets for commercial or promotional purposes," the message said. The letter however, said that FIFA has reserved limited tickets for sponsors of the national teams who would be regarded as guests of the federations.

The ministry wonders in what capacity the companies would purchase the tickets for the fans, urging Ghanaians not to allow themselves to be deceived.

The World Cup tickets would contain the personal details of individuals and other security features making them impossible to be transferred.

It warned that FIFA has not authorised anyone to issue out tickets for Ghanaians intending to travel to Germany to support the Black Stars apart from the GFA.