Oduro Sarfo advises unhappy Premier League clubs over relief fund

Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council member Nana Oduro Sarfo has implored club officials to get over issues surrounding the nation's controversial Covid-19 relief fund disbursement plan.

Last week, the national football governing body announced it was expecting a combined amount of $1.8 million (€1.6m) from Fifa and Caf in support of some domestic football stakeholders in the wake of the coronavirus disruptions.

The GFA went on to announce its intended disbursement plan for the funds but some allocations have generated nothing but controversy, the biggest complaints coming from the elite division clubs.

“If Fifa had not given us the Covid-relief grant, what would club officials have done? This is a relief that was brought for us to share," Sarfo explained to Citi Sports.

“Fifa does not give money for free. Any money that comes from Fifa should be accounted for.

“They have reasons for giving money, and they have given us a Covid-relief document to read, which was sent to the E-mails of the clubs.

“On Page 6 of the document, Fifa details who should benefit from the relief. Fifa audits everything that is done with the money.

“Even if we should say we are not sharing the money to any club again, the money we are going to get cannot run our clubs for us."

In a separate interview with Atinka FM, Sarfo had a word of caution for critics of the GFA.

The Executive Council assumed office in October last year following the election of Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku as new FA president.

“We have some people who always want to punch holes in whatever the FA will do or brings on board even if it’s good, but we are ready for them," Sarfo said.

“We are not going to fight anybody but we are ready to receive any punch from them.

“I have heard one of the big men claiming on radio that the government is responsible for national teams' expenses.

"Yes, we agree but the same person was an Executive Committee member for two or three times and supervised the FA to make the same expenses on national teams, according to their own financial statement."

Sarfo doubles as director of Ghana Premier League (GPL) side Berekum Chelsea.