The Coalition for Sports, CFS, a sports pressure group based in Kumasi has hailed government’s avowed decision to set up a committee to probing football administration in Ghana, describing it as long overdue.
He however hoped the committee would be of repute and devoid of politics.
According to a leading member of the CFS, Mr Listowell Yesu Bukarson, this has become necessary because there is the express need for transparency in Ghana sports, especially football.
“In the face of the controversies surrounding the Globacom sponsorship deals for the premier league clubs, the professed GFA inability to account for some expenditures per the auditor General’s investigations into the FA’s accounts plus the payment of bonuses to Black Stars’ players in Ghanaian cedis instead of in dollars, among others, its only crucial that all these concerns are probed into”. He advanced.
Mr Yesu Bukarson, says the spectacular performance of the senior national team, the Black Stars at the just -ended 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, should not cloud the nation’s quest for accountability from the handlers of the national teams.
“In spite of the chain of successes of national teams of the years, it’s in like manner prudent that the people in whose hands, the future of football has been entrusted account to the tax payer, whose monies by and large has brought Ghana football this that far at the” He said.
“Transparency is key in every public office, and therefore it is in the interest of the handlers of the Black Stars to duly and gladly account every pesewa invested our football”, Mr Yesu Bukarson added.
Stressing that “gone are the days where performances at sporting events should be allowed to cover up for probity, accountability and transparency”.
Comments by the GFA President to the effect that, the association is not responsible for the accountability of the allowances and bonuses of the team in South Africa is highly unacceptable, ambiguous and needs further explanations to the satisfaction of the poor tax payer”, he opined.
“Whoever is accountable must account, that is what i am calling for. That’s it!” Mr Bukarson called.
In this country, history attests to the fact that leaders have constantly hidden behind one success or the other to milk the nation in one way or the other, thereby taking the tax payer for granted and that has got to stop”. He emphasised”.
Mr Bukarson who is the Chief Executive of Authentic Sports, a sports consortium based in Kumasi recounted that, the Black Stars’ performance at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany was not publicly accounted to the Ghanaian, which he believed was unacceptable and a high sense of disrespect and sheer disregard to the tax payer.
“Because of Ghana’s historic participation and performance at the nation’s first show at its maiden mundial, handlers were not stressed to render accounts to the nation publicly but this has got to stop at this world cup”, he charged
“Ghanaians would also remember that before the 2008 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt, a player, Ishmael Yartey levelled a number of allegations against the Head coach, Mr Sellas Tetteh which the GFA set up a committee to probe after the tournament but following our exploits, nothing was done about it again”, he recounted.
“This kind of occurrences have to stop, which is why I’m calling for probe and accountability”, he stressed.
“I have supported the setting up of committees and commissions by successive governments to investigate and probe issues in this country, but it’s sickening why these same governments do not do same to sports administrators in this country, because by and large governments spend huge sums of money in sports, especially football more than many of the sectors of the economy, which monies are not accounted for”. He stated.
“It’s so regrettable also that even in instances where committees and or commissions, such as the Justice Gbadegbe Commission and the Belieb Administrative committees of enquiry have investigated, and made recommendations to governments, the recommendations, after governments have issued white papers which have not been implemented”, he lamented.
“In a country where a total amount of $ 662,740.00 is spent on one world cup qualifier (i.e., Ghana- Benin at the Kumasi Baba Yara Stadium on MARCH 29 2009). It is only wise that those monies are accounted for”, he said.
“A document dated, 27th February 2009 with reference number, GFA/MESS/GC/Vol. 011, headlined, “RE-SUBMISSION OF BUDGET FOR BLACK STARS 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA QUALIFICATION MATCHES” and sighted, attests emphatically to the huge sums of cash invested in football and these sums cannot go unaccounted for in a HIPC-resurrected third world country like Ghana whose citizens go through hell day in day out to get portable drinking water”. He stressed.
“In a country where air tickets for each of the 20 foreign- based players in the same game stands at $3,000.00, it is only prudent to explain to Ghanaians what class on what flight from which part of the world cost that much per player”. He emphasised.
“Do Ghanaians not deserve to know who make up the 36 people who receive a per diem of $10,000.00 totalling $28,800.00 in one same game? Mr Bukarson questioned.
“If in one game medicals cost the nation $10,000.00 with incidental expenses and imprest costing another $10,000.00, is it not only wise for the nation to know how these figures come about”? He demanded.
“Ghana spent $40,000.00 on what is called “protocol” with $10,000.00 budgeted for 36 persons as winning bonuses. These are the figures i’am asking be justified”. He pointed out.
“Especially when the document emphasises that the “the players are mainly foreign based and will be required to pay winning bonuses immediately after a win and therefore would be grateful if the bonuses are released together with the other expenditure items”. So the players’ bonuses cannot wait after a game? He suspiciously questioned.
“Another document i chanced upon also indicates that the financial statement on the participation of the Black stars in the first African Nation’s Championship (CHAN) in Cote D’Ivoire records that Ghana spent a total of $472,722.00 and GH 75,162.00 respectively”. Mr Bukarson revealed.
According to him, this was captured in a letter with reference number; we.159/247/01 and dated 23rd March, 2009 and signed by the embattled former Chief Director at the Sports Ministry A.A Ampong copied to the Minister and addressed to the Chief of Staff, Office of the President, the Castle, Osu Accra.
Having these details in mind and without any sense of witch hunting anybody, does common sense not call for a proper accountability to set the records straight by setting the minds of sceptics at ease? These are the issues, he pointed out.
Mr Bukarson, also a renowned sports journalist heaped praise on President Mills for the remarkable and monumental support to sports in Ghana, continuing from where President Kufour and the NPP government left off.
“Because both Presidents have been football administrators before, it was and has not been difficult for them to invest the required resources to sports development in this country”. He added.
“Its therefore not surprising that under Kufour’s administration Ghana recorded some lures and under President Mills, a lot has already been achieved just less than two years.
He praised President Mills for the massive support he rendered the Black Stars by openly carrying all manner of football funs to South Africa to support the Black Star
Listowell Yesu Banyikakinla Bukarson,
Programmes Manager/Chief Int. Journalist
Kapital Radio,
Sports Manager,
Authentic Sports Networx
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