Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the member of parliament for North Tongu Connstituency, is advocating for the quick dissolution of the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) search committee, which is in charge of choosing a new coach for the Black Stars.
Ablakwa emphasises how urgently the country’s sports system has to be completely redesigned and pushes for the creation of a national sports policy to control athletic competitions.
According to recent claims made by Ablakwa, the Youth and Sports Ministry allocated roughly $8.5 million for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), a budget that was not approved by parliament.
Speaking to media in Kumasi, he highlights the lack of a national sports policy and questions the strategic vision for Ghanaian football while urging the GFA to put an end to the coach search committee’s operations.
Ablakwa, who is disappointed that Ghana does not have a FIFA-certified surface, calls for the cancellation of international competitions until serious problems with the nation’s sports infrastructure are fixed. He is adamant about dissolving the coach search committee and laments the rushed hiring of coaches who lack a clear plan for the sport.
“There’s a need for us as a country to overhaul our sporting departments. I’m appalled that Ghana doesn’t have a national sports policy. You keep hiring coaches, but what is the vision for our sports, especially football? What is the plan for our infrastructure? Ghana lacks a FIFA-certified pitch, and we need to question the football managers. Suspend all these international sporting competitions where we’ve been disgracing ourselves, and let’s get back to the basics.”
“That committee [coach search committee] that they’ve set up should be disbanded; we don’t need to rush for coaches. How many coaches are we going to have within a few months?”
Ablakwa, who believes that the existing state of affairs is unlawful and unconstitutional, suggests starting a nonpartisan parliamentary investigation into the AFCON 2023 tournament’s budget.
He emphasises that legislative consent is required before using public monies, and he promises to submit a motion to Speaker Alban Bagbin calling for a thorough, bipartisan parliamentary investigation.
Ghana was disappointed to leave the AFCON 2023 competition without a victory following draws with Egypt and Mozambique and losses to Cape Verde.