Minister-Designate Kofi Adams calls for government involvement in football governance

Minister-designate for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has highlighted the importance of government participation in the management of football in Ghana.

Currently, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) is solely responsible for organizing and governing football leagues, cup competitions, and national teams in Ghana.

Nevertheless, the GFA, which was founded in 1957, has recently struggled to fulfill the expectations of Ghanaians in managing the sport.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, the Member of Parliament for Buem stated that the passing of a Kotoko supporter known as “Pooley” during a Ghana Premier League match against Nsoatreman has strengthened the resolve to work with the Football Association to improve sports management in Ghana.

“If you look at the manifesto of the NDC, we have made some commitment to helping improve the professional league. Occurrences such as this, even reinforces the need for government to have a hand in the handling of our football. We cannot leave it for just the FA alone. So it is not just as a result of this but we have had plans that in one way or the other government must get involved to help bring back the life and the love that we should have for our our sports. In the past we used to have government even appoint the leadership of FA, but now it’s no longer the case. We’ve reached a point where we must agree to a certain level of participation of government in our football administration” – he said.

Kofi Adams’ proposal suggests a need for reform and greater accountability in the administration of Ghanaian football.

Meanwhile, Nsoatreman FC owner and former Minister of Employment, Hon. Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, along with club official Joseph Kyeremeh has been granted bail after their arrest in connection with the tragic death of Asante Kotoko fan Francis Yaw Frimpong, popularly known as Nana Pooley.

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Story by Asack Pius|univers.ug.edu.gh