Sports
Hope it will be Sports, and not Football Fund?
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For many years, Ghanaians have been witnesses to the establishment of a number of Sports Endowment Funds.
The funds were designed to bring relief and succour to old, underprivileged sportsmen and women – most of whom have paid their due to national development.
Sadly, these funds, which most often have no legal backing, were terribly managed and no wonder frittered away with the flight with which they stormed into being.
Indeed, the alacrity with which some of these funds were put together and the high-profile personalities that patronised such events, created the impression that they were going serve as permanent panacea to the pecuniary problems of our sports men and women.
As a matter of fact, one has lost count of the number of outdooring ceremonies for these ‘wishy-washy’ funds which were often held with all the pomp and pageantry to complement the occasion.
By now, we all know that such funds were not properly handled and that ultimately led to their collapse.
Point is that, it is high time we as a nation established a Sports Development Fund that can take care of the challenges we face – especially with regard to the poor conditions of our older athletes as well as our development agenda.
On December 15, 2017, a forum was held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) that brought together stakeholders in the sports industry to deliberate and dialogue on raising funds for sports development in the country.
The forum was also aimed at removing the bottlenecks that come with funding sporting activities in the country and to accelerate the growth of sports in the country.
Noticeably, the powers-that-be were aware that the proposed Sports Fund was long overdue.
In 2016, Parliament passed the Sports Act 934, charging the National Sports Authority (NSA) to provide, develop and manage sports in the country.
It included providing financial assistance to sports promotion in Ghana and finding ways to nurture the talents that abound in the country. Truth is that the funds that are allocated to the NSA cannot cater for all the mandate of the authority, thus the consultative forum to find other avenues to get more funds for sports and also to make reforms in sports investments.
In that forum, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, said it was one of the responsibilities of the sports ministry to promote, nurture talents and to inculcate values of honesty, perseverance, volunteerism and patriotism into the youth, thus, the consultation with stakeholders to get a lasting solution to sports development in the country.
He said the government was keen on leaving a lasting legacy in sports, hence the sports funding, which was captured in the 2018 budget read by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Attah.
“In 2018, the Ministry would continue the process of passing the Legislative Instruments of the National Youth and Sports Act, pursue the enactment of the draft National Sports College Bill and create a Sports Fund to improve sports development in the country.
Unfortunately, we are three years into that forum and are still struggling to put together the Sports Fund.
As we wait for the day such fund would be brought into fruition, let us sound a note of caution to government not to turn it into a Football Fund!
We are told more than 70 per cent of government’s budget allocation to the ministry is spent on football and football-related activities. Though football, admittedly, is the passion of the nation, that is not the best.
The Sports Ministry’s priorities and budget allocation must be revisited for various sports disciplines, aside soccer, to get attention. Let us not forget we have more than 30 relevant sporting disciplines all begging for support. Are we not ashamed tagging disciplines outside football as ‘lesser-known’ sports?
Indeed, athletics, weightlifting, boxing, table-tennis, tennis, handball and many others, could also be transformed into cash cows if we invest in them properly.
For areas where there are gaps in funding, the government could even play a facilitation role to attract the private sector to get involved, much so when companies that support sports are given some tax reliefs.
We need the Sports Fund now!
PlainTalk with JOHN VIGAH
Accra Hearts of Oak and Dreams FC will headline Matchday 5 of the Ghana Premier League when the two sides meet at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium tomorrow, with both clubs seeking a result that could shape their early season campaign.
The encounter comes at a crucial moment for the two sides with the Phobians looking to recover from their first defeat of the campaign and Dreams still searching for their first victory after four matches.
The Rainbow lads started the season strongly but were beaten 1-0 by Karela United last weekend, while Dreams suffered a slim 1-0 defeat to Bechem United.
Hearts had earlier recorded impressive victories over Berekum Chelsea and Bibiani Gold Stars before drawing goalless with Bechem United, leaving the club with seven points from their opening four matches.
Their defeat at Karela United, however, means they will be under pressure to quickly return to winning ways against a Dreams side determined to make home advantage count.
Dreams, meanwhile, have endured a difficult beginning to the campaign and will see tomorrow’s fixture as an opportunity to change their fortunes.
The ‘Still Believe’ side have collected points from only their opening draws and are yet to register a victory, making the meeting with one of the country’s traditional giants an important test of their character.
Elsewhere, Vision FC will welcome Bibiani Gold Stars to the Nii Adjei Kraku II Sports Complex today, with both teams looking to strengthen their positions.
Vision have shown encouraging form in the early stages, while Gold Stars will be seeking a response after suffering a 2-0 home defeat to newcomers Port City FC.
At the Debibi Presby Park, newly promoted Debibi United will face defending champions Medeama SC tomorrow.
Medeama finally opened their account with a convincing 4-1 victory over Basake Holy Stars and will be hoping that the result marks the beginning of a stronger title defence.
Port City FC will continue their impressive debut campaign when they host Bechem United at the Daasebere Boamah Darko II Park.
Basake Holy Stars will attempt to recover from their heavy defeat to Medeama when they host Berekum Chelsea at the Ampain AAK II Sports Arena.
Aduana FC will welcome Swedru All Blacks to the Nana Agyemang Badu I Park after producing one of the weekend’s most notable results last Sunday.
At the Kpando Stadium, Heart of Lions will host FC AshantiGold ’04 in another meeting between sides coming off victories.
FC Samartex 1996 will meanwhile welcome Young Apostles FC to the Nsenkyire Sports Arena, with the home side seeking to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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Tuesday, September 29, 2026 would go into the annals of Ghana football as one of the darkest days for the Black Stars.
In an AFCON 2027 qualifier against The Gambia, the Black Stars did not only break the hearts of the fans, but conceded a defeat that left followers with sleepless nights.
Coming from a Matchday 1 defeat to the Elephants of La Cote d’Ivoire in Bouake, the outcome of the second game against The Gambia was one that was non-negotiable.
It had the ability to spark a revival to contend for one of the slots for the next AFCON showpiece.
The Gambia is a formidable side but definitely, not one to have frustrated Ghanaians to watch in pain and awe the Black Stars lose a game from a winning position.
That is a possibility in the game of football but when the stakes are high in such cases, it becomes unacceptable to the fans.
And grievously has Carlos Queiroz answered the massive call for his resignation.
At his post-match press conference, he made it clear that bowing out was the easiest decision but insisted that would not solve the myriad problems facing the Black Stars.
For the coach to be fired two days after that declaration raises a lot of concerns as he seem to be aware of existing problems the FA may even not know.
Unfortunately, coaches over the years have always been sacrificial lambs in situations of this nature but when he talks about particular problems affecting the team, his sack leaves much to be desired.
That aside, it is important to also take another look at the country’s pool of players, both local and foreign based.
Some of us have been advocates for forming the Black Stars around the ever-present local players who may lack the skill, finesse and flamboyance believed to give the foreign based players the edge over their local counterparts.
The locals, however, compensate that with their commitment and dedication.
Sadly, it appears this consistent call have fallen on deaf ears and no one wants to give any attention to that.
If the fear is that results would be poor, then that would be no excuse again following outcomes of the Stars in their last two games.
From what was witnessed in Bouake and Accra, one can confidently boast that there isn’t much difference between the foreign based players and the locals.
If there is any, it would probably be the treatment given to the two sets of players.
The call on the FA now is to give major consideration to the local players. Any coach that sees no good in the local players must have no business handling the national team.
That does not also shut the door on the ‘foreigners’. We witnessed how the early 90s teams were beautifully blended to have a formidable team.
It is time the FA goes back to the basics. With the locals, there can be more camps, leading to improved cohesion. Any foreign based player invited must settle into the team quickly and make a difference. That is the only way to rescue the Black Stars from its free fall.
By Andrew Nortey
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