President John Mahama and Kofi Adams
GhanaWeb Feature by Benjamin Sackey
The issue of expenditure on the Black Stars is a historically controversial one as Ghanaians who demand accountability of the state’s expenses on the senior national team usually clash with officials of the Ghana Football Association and government who almost always prefer to hide it from the public.
Proponents of the publication of Black Stars budgets appeared to have chalked a huge victory following President John Dramani Mahama’s directive that budgets for all sporting activities including the Black Stars be made public.
Their joy might have been short-lived as the GFA and Ministry of Sports and Recreation appear to have disregarded the directive by President Mahama as barely three days to the 2026 World Cup qualifier between Ghana and Chad, the budget for the game and the away fixture against Madagascar has not been made public.
Concerns have been raised by a section of Ghanaians against the seeming disregard for the president’s order with calls heightening for the budget for the two games to be published.
This GhanaWeb Sports feature outlines reasons the government must tell Ghanaians how much it will be spending on the two matches.
Enforcement of President Mahama’s directive
President John Dramani Mahama announced that all budgets for sporting events, including that of the Black Stars, will be made public under his government.
He assured that no association would withhold their budgets, emphasizing that taxpayers have the right to know how funds are allocated.
“There will be no secrecy on how much the government spends on the national teams. The budgets presented by the GFA and other associations must be known to the public.
Failure to announce the budget would be a slap in the face of the supposed accountability and transparency drive by the president.
Accountability and Transparency
Most of the funds disbursed for Black Stars-related activities are from the people of Ghana. Since Ghanaians pay taxes and their monies are being used to bankroll the team, it will be prudent for them to be briefed on the details of the budget.
Restoring Love and Support for the Team
Interestingly, some individuals are not concerned about the team because of the corruption allegations against the team.
The allegations that huge sums of money are allocated for the Black Stars during tournaments and qualifiers appear to influence resentment towards the team.
Hence, telling Ghanaians about the budget could help assuage the anger and enhance support for the team.
Meanwhile, watch Minister of Sports Kofi Adams dismisses criticism of Black Stars’ commitment