Ghana’s Ministry of Youth and Sports has denied media reports suggesting that $8 million (GHC 41million) has been budgeted for the senior national team, the Black Stars for their participation in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
A statement signed by the ministry’s Public Relations Officer Mr. Elvis Adjei-Baah read, “I can say that there is no budget approved yet or in place for the AFCON.
“There is a delegation currently in Abu Dhabi trying to get a camping facility for the national team, so there is no way we would have come up with a budget once that is not even sorted yet.
Once everything is concluded and is appropriate, we would communicate to the good people of Ghana how much budget has been presented or approved,” it added.
The report understandably caused an uproar amongst football fans in the country still reeling from financial scandals rocking the Ghana Football Association for the past five years. In 2014, the Ghana government airlifted $3million in cash to Brazil to pay the appearance fees for members of the national team at the FIFA World Cup.
After the tournament, then president John Mahama set up a three-man commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ghana’s participation at the tournament. Among other findings, the 400-page report recommended that certain officials refunded thousands of dollars to the state. Last year, the Ghana Football Association was disbanded after several top officials, including former president Kwesi Nyantakyi and referees were caught on camera taking bribes.
