Ghana Football Association (GFA) Vice President Mark Addo, has disclosed that the organization is not aware of the specific amount spent on the AFCON 2023 campaign in Ivory Coast.
According to Addo, the GFA only identified necessary expenses and left it up to the Ministry of Youth and Sports to create a budget and payment plan.
This revelation comes after Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, leaked an official request made to the Ministry of Finance by the Ministry of Youth and Sports for a total of $8,506,450 for the Black Stars’ campaign for a fifth continental title.
The request included a first tranche of $5,071,840.36 as part payment.
Ablakwa, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker, criticized the large sum of money being spent on the tournament when there are basic infrastructural challenges in the country.
In response to these concerns, Addo clarified that the GFA does not receive any money from the Ministry to spend on the Black Stars.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about the AFCON budget,” he said. “The GFA does not receive any money from the Ministry to spend on the Black Stars. The GFA does not even know the actual amount spent during the tournament.”
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, is expected to appear in Parliament to account for the expenditure and performance of the Black Stars.
The team was eliminated in the group stage, losing their first game 2-1 to Cape Verde and drawing 2-2 with both Egypt and Mozambique.