Sports News of 2026-09-23
Have you constructed a pitch? – Kurt Okraku clashes with MP over reform call
The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Okraku, has questioned the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, over his call for government intervention in football administration.
The Manhyia South MP argued that the poor performances of the various national teams, especially their failure to qualify for major competitions and their abysmal showing in recent years, are evidence of the GFA's shortcomings.
Baffour Awuah called on the government to set aside concerns about FIFA and intervene to reform the country's football administration, citing the recent mass withdrawals from the Black Stars squad.
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In response, Kurt Okraku questioned why the MP, whom he believes lacks adequate knowledge of football administration, would make such comments.
Describing the criticisms as a "conspiracy theory," the GFA President indicated that it would not be ideal for football administrators to interfere in political matters, just as politicians should be cautious about commenting on football issues.
"This conspiracy theory is all over the place these days. I heard an MP talking. If we, the football people, decide to talk about MPs, then we wouldn't be able to stay in Ghana. Yet, you speak about things you have no idea about. We all have one national team, and at the end of the day, it is about the country. When we qualified for the World Cup, was there not happiness in Ghana? The youth celebrated, and we all had joy because we were performing at the Mundial," he said in an interview with Asempa FM.
Kurt Okraku went on to question Baffour Awuah's performance in his constituency, particularly regarding the construction of football pitches to support the development of the sport.
He said it would be more appropriate to address concerns with the GFA privately rather than publicly criticizing the association and calling for reforms.
"You, an MP, don't know what is happening in football, nor have you spoken to anybody at the FA to share your views with, but stick to the facts. Why would an MP who isn't an expert criticize what football people are doing? If we also rebut, can he stay in Ghana? Because if I go to his constituency, I'll see youth unemployment, poor Astroturf pitches, and the fact that our young people have no pitches to play on. But it's not my responsibility to talk about those issues publicly; I would rather speak to him directly. Where are the football pitches? The Manhyia South MP is the one I'm talking about..." he noted.
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