AFCON 2019: Sports Minister To Face Parliament Over Black Stars AFCON Exit

Youth and Sports Minister, Isaac Asiamah, is expected to be hauled to Parliament, to answer why Ghana performed poorly at the 2019 AFCON tournament.

The MPs expressed concerns over the Black Stars’ disappointing performance which saw them exit the tournament after Monday’s defeat to Tunisia at Ismailia in Egypt.

Black Stars lost 5-4 on penalties to the Carthage Eagles following a 1-1 in 120 minutes of action.

It is the first time the team is exiting the tournament without reaching the semifinal stage since they were eliminated at the group stage in the 2006 tournament also staged in Egypt.

The team is expected to arrive at the Kotoka Airport in Accra, by Wednesday.

On Tuesday, members on the two sides of the House indicated that they have begun the process to get Mr Asiamah to appear before them to respond to questions.

An urgent question has been filed by the Minority for the Minister to appear, Ranking Member on the Sports Committee, Kwabena Woyome, has indicated.

Mr Woyome says there are lots of questions requiring answers, hence the urgent question.

“We’d want the Minister to tell the country something through Parliament,” Mr Woyome told JoyNews correspondent, Joseph Opoku Gakpo.

Mr Woyome also wants to know what lessons have been learnt from the country’s abysmal performance while trying to juxtapose that with the ongoing process to normalise football in the country.

Chairman of the Youth and Sports Committee, Kofi Agyekum, disagrees with his colleague on the minority side for attempting to summon the minister to the floor to answer questions. He says the committee will rather invite him to come to brief them on the AFCON at a committee sitting.

“…As representatives of the people, he has the duty to appear before us to answer those questions,” Mr Agyekum stated.

He believes the current development “presents the country with an opportunity to tackle issues relating to football systematically and have them addressed.”