Vice President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mark Addo, has stated that the GFA cannot provide an exact figure for the government’s investment in the Black Stars during the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Despite claims by Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that the government spent $8.5 million on the Black Stars at the 2023 AFCON, the GFA has distanced itself from these assertions.
According to Addo, it is the responsibility of the Sports Ministry to create a budget for the Black Stars, and therefore, the GFA cannot verify the accuracy of the alleged amount.
“As to the actual money that is spent, the FA has no input in that. The FA does not receive any money from the Ministry to spend on any item,” the GFA Vice President said at the presser on Wednesday, February 7, 2024.
He added, “The Ministry has a purse holder who is embedded in the team, so every expenditure he accounts for it.”
He emphasised that the GFA prepared a list for the Sports Ministry to determine the amount of money to be allocated to the team. He added that no member of the GFA has a fair idea of the amount the government gave the ministry.
He said, “The perception that the Ministry has spent $8.5 million on the Black Stars—anyone on the FA does not know about it because we didn’t advance from our group stage.
“Once we prepare where we presume the team will reach for the ministry, we have no idea the amount,” he added.
Several days have passed since Ghana’s exit from the AFCON, yet the Ministry of Youth and Sports has not released a report detailing the budget allocated for the Black Stars at the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast.