GFA’s President should do more to develop nation’s football - Woyome

Mr. Kobena Mensah Woyome, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Committee on Youth, Sports and Culture, has congratulated Mr. Kurt Simeon-Okraku, the new president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), on his election.

He said the expectation was he would provide the right leadership to grow the nation’s football.

“I have no doubt that, as the head of new management team of the nation’s number one game, Mr. Okraku should able to move Ghana football forward.”

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the Parliament House, in Accra, Mr. Woyome said he was hopeful that the new GFA boss, with his vast experience in football and sports administration, would ensure that the management team lifted the national teams- the Black Satellites, the Black Queens, the Black Starlets and the Black Stars- from their abysmal performance in recent years to new heights.

He made reference to the Normalization Committee, set up by world football governing body, FIFA, in September last year, to revise the GFA statutes and conduct elections and said “they have been able to do much in terms of what they were mandated to do”.

The Committee came into being after the government of Ghana discontinued the liquidation of the Football Association and FIFA's decision to discontinue the suspension of FA, in the aftermath of the Anas Aremeyaw Anas ‘Number 12’ documentary that exposed corruption in the nation’s football.

According to Mr. Woyome, Ghanaians are expecting so much from the new Kurt Okraku-led management team, to whip up interest in the game of football, develop sports facilities and infrastructure and improve officiating of football matches among other things.

“I have no doubt that the current President, with his deep knowledge in fundraising, corporate management, and versatility would match the expectations of Ghanaians,” Mr. Woyome added.

He advocated more effective football legislation, and called on the new management team to make sure that scandals in football became a thing of the past.