The Save Ghana Football group has announced that its planned demonstration in Kumasi has been put on hold following an agreement with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to engage in open dialogue.
The demonstration, which was scheduled for Friday, February 23, 2024, will no longer take place as previously planned.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, the conveners of the group explained that the decision to put the demonstration on hold was made in order to allow for productive dialogue with the GFA.
They expressed hope that this dialogue will lead to positive changes in the management of Ghana football.
“Following an official letter from the GFA acknowledging receipt of our petition and inviting us to an open dialogue, we have decided to put the Kumasi demonstration and all subsequent ones on hold,” the statement read.
“We want to assure stakeholders of Ghana football that this decision does not mean the end of our advocacy efforts. We remain committed to ensuring that the necessary steps are taken to improve the state of Ghana football.”
The Kumasi demonstration was part of a series of protests organised by the Save Ghana Football group to demand reforms in the country’s football administration.
The group has been critical of the GFA and the Sports Ministry, accusing them of mismanagement and poor leadership, which they claim has contributed to the decline of Ghana football.
The first demonstration took place in Accra and was attended by hundreds of football enthusiasts who called for drastic changes in the management of the sport.
The conveners of the group, including sports journalists Saddick Adams, Veronica Commey, and Patrick Osei Agyemang (Countryman Songo), presented a 15-point petition to Parliament, urging lawmakers to take action to address the issues plaguing Ghana football.
Some of the demands in the petition included the disbandment of national team management committees, which the group argues are not effective and waste resources on excessive per diems.
The Save Ghana Football movement emerged in the wake of yet another disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign by the Black Stars, who crashed out of the competition in the group stages for the second consecutive time.