Govt spent ‘only’ 400,000 dollars on 2014 World Cup - Ministry

It has emerged at the Presidential Commission investigating matters related to the 2014 World Cup appearance that government spent only $471,130.39 on the Black Stars at the tournament, figure far less than earlier reports had suggested.

It was previously thought that $7m was spent on the country’s World Cup campaign in Brazil but it has emerged that the Ghana Football Association is paying for a huge chunk of the amount.

This information was disclosed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports which was represented by its Chief Director and Chief Accountant on Monday, which happened to be Day 5 of the ongoing Commission hearings.

Responding to questions from the three man commission, the Chief Accountant of the Ministry, Mr. Prosper Apasu provided a breakdown of the actual expenditure the State incurred on the appearance of the Black Stars at the Brazil Mundial.

Mr. Kpasu disclosed that the government spent a total of $4,474,891.47 but noted that since this is inclusive of the loan the government extended to the GFA, it meant that government spent only $471,130.39.

“In all government spent 4,474,891.47 dollars. However this includes the loan that we gave to the GFA which totaled $4,003,751.08, so in effect the government actually spent $471,130.39 on the World Cup.”, he told the commission.

This current information flies in the face of earlier reports which had put the figure in the millions and which generated a huge furore over how millions of dollars of state funds were spent on the World Cup but which had resulted in a disappointing outing compared to the two earlier World Cup appearances.

The figure put out by the Ministry also suggests that the State spent far less on the 2014 World Cup compared to the 2006 and 2010 World Cups where government spent $16.9million according to accounts rendered by then Minister Clement Kofi Humado to Parliament in June 2012.