Organizers of the ‘SaveGhanaFootball’ protest presented a 15-point petition to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on Wednesday following the protest in Accra.
The petition was presented after a march that took place earlier in the day, starting from Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle and ending at Black Star Square.
The protesters were, among other things, calling for major reforms in the governance of Ghanaian football. They believe that Ghana’s football industry is collapsing due to poor leadership and structures.
The Black Stars’ exit from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the group stage is the last piece that needed the demonstration.
Among the petition’s demands, the convenors called for the dissolution of national team management committees, which many believe do no work and are paid exorbitant salaries.
Read the full fifteen points of the report below:
- DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL FOOTBALL POLICY:
This policy, if developed properly, with proper consultation and input, will serve as the immediate guiding principle or fulcrum around which our football will revolve.
- INSTITUTE A RESEARCH COMMITTEE:
A Commission of Inquiry and Inquiry, similar to the Dzamefe Commission, must be set up to investigate the factors that contribute to the poor performance of the National Teams, including administrative, coaching and player-related issues. Specific terms of reference must be provided and a government white paper issued accordingly.
There is an urgent need for accountability for the individuals and entities responsible for the disbursement and use of the $10.5 million in prize money we received from our participation in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the $8.5 million budget in Ivory Coast. This we believe will guide us in our future tournaments and entries.
- DISSOLUTION OF SEARCH COMMITTEE REPORT FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW BLACK ASTER COACH:
After three consecutive failed major tournament campaigns in three years, it is clear that Ghana’s football problems go beyond the appointment of coaches. The search committee tasked with finding a new coach for the Black Stars report should be dismissed immediately, pending a review of the technical report, investigation into the issues that led to the horror show, team management, personnel, medical reports and the challenges that terrified the team.
- DISSOLUTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEES:
National Team Management Committees have become an avenue for rewarding GFA members and their missions with promises of travel and allowances. Therefore, there are no membership selection criteria for these management committees. After all, the competences of some of the members are very questionable. We recommend that due to the apparent ineffectiveness of the management committees, the practice should be cleaned up. In its place, we propose the establishment of a “National Team Board” which will be responsible for the management of all national teams. This council must be three members with a National Teams Coordinator as a member. This will reduce the number of committees and create a strong governance system for all national groups. The National Teams Board of Directors will work directly with the various backroom executives to maintain the highest standards required of Ghana football.
- LACK OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:
The development of Children’s Football is the foundation of success for all footballing nations. Over the years, Ghana has achieved remarkable success in youth and youth competitions at continental and global level. However, the transition of these successes into significant achievements at the senior level remains non-existent. Talents discovered at the juvenile level unfortunately fall by the wayside without a deliberate succession plan to integrate them into the various age groups.
As of 2017, no Men’s National Team at the youth or development stage of football has qualified for the World Cup. This has greatly hindered the development process of Ghanaian football. There are indications of conflict of interest situations in inviting new players with members of current GFA managements preferring players who play for clubs owned by those managers and/or clubs linked to the management. The result in the long run is the non-appearance of the various teams on the world stage and the exhaustion of the Black Stars.
Structural reforms must be introduced in the GFA to ensure transparency, accountability and good corporate governance, thereby improving financial management and enhancing professionalism in football administration. We recommend that the government order, with immediate effect, the agency responsible for sports in Ghana, the Ministry or the National Sports Authority (NSA) to sign the FIFA Standard Corporation Agreement to ensure that the government can be involved in the organization , the technical direction, administration and financing of football without the usual interventionist rhetoric of FIFA.
It is public knowledge, the level of financial investment that the Government of Ghana makes in the National Teams. However, we are of the opinion that the way of investing is wrong.
Substantial amounts of taxpayers’ money only go to Black Stars friendly games, tournaments at the expense of other National teams and areas of the sport. It is amazing how several Sports Ministers continue to approve unconscionable budgets prepared by the GFA for Black Stars campaigns without proper scrutiny.
We suggest that the GFA work with the National Sports Authority to prepare tournament or match budgets as the NSA is the body empowered by the Act to undertake such an exercise.
- INVEST IN BASE GROWTH:
The government should invest massively in school sports, technical development and infrastructure and grassroots football.
The success of any Football Association is measured by the strength of its domestic competitions. The Ghana Premier League and other competitions are in a very poor state. When well organized, it tends to boost the local economy with activities every week, while providing employment opportunities to thousands of Ghanaians. As a matter of urgency, the government should try to invest in the local league, through infrastructure development and also engage state and parastatal agencies to sponsor the leagues. An agreement should be reached between league organisers, club owners and such government bodies to have an oversight role in the use of this money to ensure transparency at all levels. Adequate provision of infrastructure is vital to the development of football in Ghana. The government should invest in building and maintaining modern football infrastructure to support national teams and domestic leagues.
- ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL TRAINING COMPLEX
The GFA manages the national team with the trust of Ghanaians. In the interests of accountability and transparency, we are calling for an extensive investigation into all money (FIFA & CAF and sponsorships) that has flowed into the GFA over the past five years. We know that MTN sponsored Black Stars $2 million for two years when we qualified for the 2022 World Cup. Mara, Tecno Mobile, Puma, Flora Tissue, Zeepay, Chery Cars are part of Tanink Ghana Limited etc. etc. are some sponsors who participated as sponsors of Black Stars during the World Cup in Qatar.
- NATIONAL TEAM COACHES SALARY CHALLENGE:
All national team coaches should be contracted and paid like the Black Stars coach to cure the bribery issues that are heavily associated with the management of other national teams.
The Government will lead stakeholder engagement involving football clubs, fans, players, journalists and civil society institutions to chart the way forward
- TAX REDUCTION IN FOOTBALL EVENTS:
Parliament, as a matter of urgency, consider reducing the 17 percent tax on football competitions to 3 percent as it does for the creative arts.
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