Sports
GFA budget versus Adams’ axe
Anyone interested in how the public purse is disbursed and applied would surely applaud the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Mr Kofi Adams, for the measures taken to protect it.
Mr Adams slightly took the shine off the Black Stars’ preparation for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Mali with the disclosure of a budget submitted by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for the two matches.
Additionally, he announced drastic cuts to the said budget, a move he indicated was to ensure fiscal discipline as directed by the President, John Dramani Mahama.
By the information made available, the GFA submitted a budget of $2,053,240 for the organisation and preparation of the team for the two matches.
The amount was to also pay mouthwatering bonuses and allowances that makes one wonder how certain amounts have been made to look like ‘chicken change’ or ‘coins.’
In certain quarters, the Sports and Recreation Minister has been hailed for the decision that is explained to have saved the nation an amount of $732,750.00.
“The Ministry subjected the estimates to a detailed internal review and identified line items that required adjustment, clarification, and removal, guided by government’s current fiscal posture and the need for prudent spending,” the Minister was reported to have said.
That was obviously a great move although some aspects and postures of the Ministry has not gone down well with the FA, and the public would wait rather impatiently to know the content of its promised reaction after the double-header.
Football, indeed, remains an expensive venture and any participant must be ready to meet it demands if the dream is to reap its full benefits.
From the provision of infrastructure, acquisition of logistics to per diem and bonus payment, one would need to break the bank to stay at a level considered as standard.
This becomes a headache for countries with smaller economies like Ghana that struggles to provide infrastructure like schools, hospitals, roads, provision of water, shelter and many other basic needs.
It, therefore, beats the imagination of many how Ghana is able to pay huge bonuses and allowances, some of which can be compared to other national teams at their best.
Interestingly, some of the line items were deemed untouchable. For example, the chartered flight that cost the tax payer $300,000, players’ per diem of $150, and $200 for technical staff and officials escaped the ‘Adams axe.’
Expenses like bonuses for players couldn’t swerve the chopping board, suffering 50 per cent cuts – meaning players would take $5,000 instead of $10,000 as winning bonuses.
Coach Otto Addo would still smile to the bank with $10,000 although he would be happier with the $20,000 the FA wanted to pay.
Additionally, the bonus for the assistant coaches were reduced from $10,000 to $5,000, those of the team doctor, physiotherapist, video analyst, and psychologist were reduced from $10,000 to $4,000, with the kit officers, media officer, masseur, welfare officer, and dietician taking $4,000 instead of $8,000 with the $10,000 bonus for management officials cancelled.
The team’s imprest was also reduced from $60,000 to $20,000, while facility user fees of $2,000 and internal transport (fuel) of $5,000 were removed.
What is assuring is that the development will not affect the team’s psyche in anyway as players and officials remain greatly motivated to secure Ghana’s qualification.
But the chapter is not closed until the FA releases its promised response to bring clarity on issues it appears uncomfortable with.
By Andrew Nortey
The national U-17 female team, the Black Maidens, have arrived in Rabat from their pre-camp base in Casablanca to begin their campaign at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The team will open their Group C fixtures against Norway on Sunday, October 18, at the Mohammed VI Football Complex. They will then face Brazil on Thursday, October 22, before wrapping up the group stage against Canada on Saturday, October 24.
During their two-week training camp in Casablanca, the technical team tested the squad’s readiness with two international friendlies against China and Kenya.
The Black Maidens are returning to the global showpiece after missing the last edition, aiming to build on a proud record that includes a bronze medal in 2012 and three quarter-final appearances.
The team is expected to hold its first training session in Rabat on Wednesday as it puts finishing touches to preparations for the opener against Norway.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
IN modern football, the final whistle doesn’t signal the end of the show; it signals the intermission.
The Top five European Leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1) have mastered a brutal truth of the digital age: you don’t just sell the match; you sell the marathon.
By weaponising transfer window tension, season reviews, and microscopic highlight reels, they’ve turned 90 minutes of sport into a 24/7/365 content vortex.
Meanwhile, back home, the Ghana Premier League (GPL) is haemorrhaging relevance not because the talent isn’t there but because the storytelling is dead.
The Football Association’s apathy is only rivalled by its hypocrisy.
The European Blueprint: Selling the ‘Appetite’
Why do fans tune into a random mid-table La Liga clash on a Friday night? Because they’ve been primed. Across the summer, broadcasters and clubs drip-feed ‘transfer sagas’ like high-stakes soap operas.
Will the star leave? Who is the mystery medical? This tension creates a parasocial investment that transcends the pitch.
Paired with this are season-review documentaries and hyper-curated game highlights tailored for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. These aren’t just goal clips; they are tactical breakdowns, sideline theatrics, and VAR controversies packaged into digestible and emotional bites.
This strategy has inflated broadcasting rights to astronomical sums (the Premier League’s recent domestic deal hit £6.7 billion).
They know that if you feed the audience year-round, they will binge-watch when it matters.
The GPL Vacuum: No Sponsor, No Story
Now, overlay this blueprint onto the Ghana Premier League. It is a stark, barren contrast.
The league is poorly run, lacking a headline sponsor to give it financial muscle or marketing prestige. Without that corporate backing, the media machine grinds to a halt.
The transfer market, which should be the peak of offseason intrigue, is a ghost town. We hear about signings, but the transfer fee is universally undisclosed.” We only get the contract length.
This kills the narrative. In Europe, a €100 million move generates weeks of debate; in Ghana, a move generates a one-line social media post, devoid of gravity. Fans cannot gauge ambition, nor can they measure a club’s financial muscle.
Most damningly, there are no reviews from the broadcasting rights holders. No glossy season-compilation DVDs. No weekly magazine shows dissecting past campaigns to build hype for the next.
The Broadcasting Right Holders (BRHs) treat the GPL as an obligation to air live, not as an IP to monetize through content. The league goes dormant the moment the trophy is lifted.
And the FA? They seem unconcerned. There is no strategic blue • A scene from the Ghana Premier League print to pump these ‘stuffs’ into the digital ecosystem. They treat the league’s media output like an afterthought, ignoring that a lack of online noise equals a lack of bums on seats.
The Black Stars Paradox: The Hypocrisy of Production
Here is the crushing irony that exposes the FA’s priorities. When the Black Stars assemble for a World Cup qualifier or an AFCON match, the narrative flips overnight.
Suddenly, the budget for proper camera operators and videographers appears from thin air. We get cinematic drone shots, multi-angle slow-motion replays, tunnel cams, and emotional post-match interviews.
Every moment, every tackle, every save, every passionate fan in the stands is captured in vivid, broadcast-ready quality. The national team gets the full ‘European treatment.’
This reveals a devastating double standard. The FA treats the Black Stars as the sole marketable asset, forgetting that the GPL is the engine room that produces these stars.
By diverting all production value to the national team while starving the domestic league of visual prestige, they are cannibalizing their own foundation.
The Verdict
You cannot build a football culture on national team fixtures alone.
Europe thrives because they understand that content is the currency of fandom.
Until the Ghana FA secures a headline sponsor, enforces transparent transfer disclosures (to fuel debate), and mandates that broadcasting partners produce engaging season reviews and highlight packages, the GPL will remain a hidden gem rather than a sparkling crown.
The players are there. The passion is there. But if the FA continues to save its best camera angles for the Black Stars while leaving the Premier League in the dark, they aren’t just failing the clubs; they are starving the very appetite they desperately need to feed
By Leslie Agyemang
