Black Stars deserve every money given them - GOC President

Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah, President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), has backed the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ high spending on the Senior National Football team the Black Stars, saying the team deserves every penny spent on it.

Mr. Nunoo Mensah said, "we have a huge brand in our Black Stars, so we need to sustain them with a lot of money. Black Stars play two-three matches and then our budget is wiped out, it's justifiably so.

"Every money that is put in the Black Stars, they deserve it and we have to put it there because that is our highest pedigree but we need to find money for the other so-called least-financed sports, especially when they have to represent Ghana in international competitions,” Mr. Mensah said this when the newly elected executives of the GOC paid a courtesy call on Mr. Mustapha Ussif, Minister of Youth and Sports, at his office Monday.

The GOC President, however, said although the Black Stars was a big sports brand in the country which needed to be sustained, the development of other disciplines must not be neglected.

He said the lack of funding of the other federations had resulted in the country's inability to qualify more athletes for international competitions.

Mr. Nunoo Mensah pleaded with the Youth and Sports Minister to ask the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for more funds to finance its activities and programs in the 2021 sports calendar.

According to him, funds allocated to the Ministry in 2021 budget was "extremely small" and would be taken by the Black Stars after few matches played.

"Honourable Minister, the first challenge is funding. Unfortunately, I heard about the budget that has been given to you and I still think that it is extremely small.

"The more money we put in our youth development and our sports, the less money we are going to put into our health sector and then we are creating a future for more of our youth.

"So, I would still plead with you if it is possible that you need to go back to Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, we still need money,” he said.