Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu Member of Parliament, has demanded the immediate dissolution of the search committee that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) established to select a new coach for the Black Stars.
He highlights the necessity of creating a national sports policy to govern athletics and related activities in the nation, as well as a complete overhaul of the nation’s sporting system.
Mr. Ablakwa recently claimed that the Youth and Sports Ministry never had parliamentary approval for the budget, which was estimated to be worth 8.5 million dollars for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The North Tongu lawmaker urged the GFA to promptly suspend the committee in charge of finding a new coach for the national team while speaking to reporters in Kumasi.
“It is imperative that our nation restructure its athletic departments. Ghana’s lack of a national sports policy disgusts me. You continue to appoint coaches; what is your specific goal for our sports football program? What infrastructure plan do we have? What are the football managers in Ghana doing, considering the country lacks a FIFA-certified pitch? Put an end to all of these international athletic events in which we have been demeaning ourselves and concentrating on the fundamentals.
“There’s no need to rush into hiring coaches; the committee [the coach search committee] that they’ve established ought to be dissolved. In a few months, how many coaches will there be? He made hints about pressuring lawmakers from both parties to look into the tournament’s spending.
It is imperative to underscore that the current course of events is manifestly unlawful and unconstitutional. Prior to allocating public funds, parliamentary approval is required. The GFA and the Ministry of Youth and Sports never gave the parliament access to the Black Stars budget while I was an MP. When they returned, they would spend public funds, and then they would make an account and tell us what the budget was. This was an act of effrontery and audacity.
That is completely unacceptable and wrong, and people should be punished for it. We demand that the nation’s laws be upheld.
When the house reconvenes, you will notice that my colleagues and I will be presenting the motion we have already drafted to the Right Hon. Alban Bagbin. Ghana must not become a banana republic. requesting a thorough, bipartisan parliamentary investigation into this issue.
Ghana exited AFCON 2023 without a victory after losing to Cape Verde in their opening match. They ended the tournament with two points after drawing with Egypt and Mozambique.
The GFA accepted responsibility in a statement for the Black Stars’ poor campaign, saying it “fell short of the high expectations we all share.”
