North Tongu member of Parliament, Okudzeto Ablakwa’s expose of the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) ‘oversized’ budget appears to have fallen on the wrong side of the association.
Mr Ablakwa took to his social media on January 29, 2024, with purported documents from the Ministry of Youth and Sports containing what was believed to be an agreed-upon budget of $8.5 million (about GH¢105 million) for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) by government and
He claimed that he had intercepted documents that showed that the government and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) had agreed on a whooping budget of $8.5 million (about GH¢105 million) for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and this budget, he said, was separate from the GH¢27.9 million that was spent on the qualifiers.
In response to this, an Executive Council member of the GFA, Nana Oduro Sarfo, during an interview on Asempa FM, accused Ablakwa of being a detractor whose goal is to” influence public discourse and deflect our focus from important issues” because he “did not like the fact that the New Patriotic Party’s parliamentary primaries were peaceful, free and fair.”
He further went on to caution Mr Ablakwa to stop playing politics with football and focus on his mandate in Parliament.
“He should concentrate on his job of passing bills in Parliament and stop engaging in small, small cheap politics in football. It is not the best” he fumed.
The GFA also issued a statement, cautioning Ablakwa to stop the cheap politics and focus on policies. They said that the budget was not final and that it was subject to review and approval by the relevant authorities