Sports
GFA does not select players for National teams- Kurt Okraku
The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Okraku, has dismissed allegations that the GFA selects players for the national team.
The responsibility for player selection, he clarified, lies with the technical team of the Black Stars, led by Coach Otto Addo.
Mr. Okraku emphasized that any coach who allows external influence in player selection would face dismissal.
Speaking at a Parliamentary Select Committee on Youth and Sports’ public hearing to address a petition from the “Fix Ghana Group.”
The group organized a demonstration in Accra after the Black Stars’ early exit from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Mr. Okraku expressed disappointment that the group had not engaged with the GFA leadership before petitioning Parliament and taking to the streets.
He welcomed the hearing as an opportunity to explain the issues and clear up misconceptions.
Mr. Okraku also addressed concerns about referee compensation, explaining that referees in Ghana are not full-time employees and hold other jobs.
“Payments to referees are made after matches, in line with global practices,” he said.
He stressed that it is improper for any referee to know match results before officiating, underscoring the integrity of the sport.
Chairman of the Committee on Youth and Sports, Hon. Kobena Mensah Woyome, stated that the purpose of the hearing was to gather the GFA’s perspective before presenting a report to the Speaker of Parliament.
One key issue raised during the session was the payment of $100,000 to the GFA’s Management Committee members as bonus.
In response, Dr. Randy Abbey, a management member of the GFA, explained that financial matters, including tournament budgets and qualifying fees, are handled by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Dr.Abbey noted that the GFA management does not receive salaries or allowances for their work and criticized the tendency to hold the GFA accountable only in times of failure, without recognizing their efforts in times of success.
Presentations were also made by the Association of Referees and veteran coaches during the session.
Sports
New trophy unveiled for 2024/2025 Malta Guinness Women Premier League season
Ahead of the new 2024/2025 Malta Guiness Women’s Premier League season, a new trophy has been unveiled at an event held at the headquarters of the association in Accra.
The trophy, locally designed, when looked at has, the a “W” sign representing ‘Women Football’.
It is also embellished intricately with sparkling gold to symbolise the strength, hope, and growth of Women’s Football in Ghana.
It was a sight to behold as EX-Players, Fafali Dumehasi, Romanatu Tahiru and other players from the Immigration, Prisons, Army and Police Service matched majestically with it to the main stage of the event to the admiration of all stakeholders present at the launch.
The unveiling of the trophy also marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League as it sparks new conversations around which team is prepared to win it for the first time.
The new league season is set to kick off on the weekend of Friday 18th – Monday 21st October across the Northern and Southern Zones.
Sports
Bawumia Has Good Ideas And Programmes For Ghana, Not 24-Hour Discos– Pres Akufo-Addo
The President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is confident that Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia remains best qualified on our political market to lead the country into the much desired fourth industrial revolution.
According to the President, who is currently on a two-day visit of the Northern, North East and Savanna regions, Dr. Bawumia has been well prepared, and he is now ready to become President.
Whilst asking for the support and effort of the Nayiri and the people of Mamprugu for their son, the Vice President, President Akufo-Addo said, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is a man of good ideas and good programmes for the country.
“He is not proposing 24-hour discotheques. He is the man best qualified to lead Ghana into the fourth industrial revolution. So I want us to work together make sure he becomes the next president of this country,” he said.
Establishing the premise of his remarks, President Akufo-Addo said he is asking for the support not just because he is a son of Mampruguland, but because, “Dr Bawumia is extremely competent, fit and able to be our next President.
“I’ve worked with him for these past sixteen years and apart from being capable, competent and intellectually well-endowed, he is also a man of great loyalty, principled and honest. I am confident that if the people of Ghana agree with me and give him the chance, he will make an excellent President,” he added.
He was confident that if Ghanaians agree with him, and give Dr Bawumia the chance, “he will make an excellent President.”
According to him “Like all big Chiefs get concerned about matters relating to who succeeds them the person who will occupy your seat after you, the difference between us is that you will never know who will follow you, but in my case, I will know who will follow me.”
“Because you are a monarch and you will reign until you die, its only after your death that your successor is chosen, but I am a republican and democratic Chief, and I know who will succeed me. So I’ve come here to ask for your support to make sure that your son, my Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia succeeds me,” he concluded.
