Sports
Let the referees’ cash flow
A PROPOSED amendment to extend the presidential term of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) obviously dominated conversations in the build up to the association’s 31st Ordinary Congress held at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram on Tuesday.
That particular move was very much criticised by people mostly outside the association.
The FA President, Kurt Okraku, was vilified and maligned by people hostile to the proposal, citing reasons including a desire to extend his stay in office although he was yet to make any such decision publicly.
But can the critics be faulted for their stance on the proposal? Obviously, the answer can be either yes or no.
That notwithstanding, football people voted massively at the Congress with about 10 voting against and abstaining. A total of 114 voted for the extension, indicating that the football people loves the idea.
In the next two years left on the current term, the unending conversation would switch to whether Okraku would consider a third term, a decision believed to have fuelled the proposal, or whether he would bow out.
However, Okraku’s response to whether he intends to continue or not must lay to rest the issue for now to digest some goodies announced at the Congress.
At a post Congress presser, Okraku stated that discussion on whether he would continue or not was premature.
That of course should apply the brakes on the discussion of the tenure extension to scrutinise some of the seemingly pleasant packages announced at the Congress.
The reward package announced for Ghana Premier League (GPL) was not just a novelty but very rewarding and mouthwatering.
For the first time in the history of the GPL, every club is set to pocket an amount of GH¢1m before kickoff.
Additionally, a total of GH¢9.5 million would be shared among the best performing teams in the competition, with the winners all the way to the 15th position expected to smile to bank after the season.
According to Mr Okraku, the winner of the 2025-26 Ghana Premier League (GPL) would get GH¢2 million while the runner-up would get GH¢1million.
The new merit award would also have the third place team receive GH¢800,000; fourth-placed team GH¢750,000; fifth placed-team GH¢700,000 and sixth-place team getting GH¢600,000.
Seventh-place team will pocket GH¢650,000; eighth-place team GH¢550,000; ninth placed-team GH¢500,000; 10th -place team GH¢450,000; 11th place team GH¢400,000; 12th place team GH¢350,000; 13th-place team GH¢300,000; 14th-place team GH¢250,000 and 15th-place taking GH¢200,000.
The good news is that the referees – who play an integral role in the success or otherwise of the competition, were not left out of the new FA windfall.
Beginning the 2025/26 football season, all 280 referees across the three major leagues –GPL, Division One League (DOL) and Women Premier League (WPL); will enjoy a huge insurance cover as individuals, as a group, critical illness, against permanent disability, medical expenses, and workmen’s compensation, among others.
What probably might interest the referees the more was the announcement of an enhanced financial incentive.
FIFA referees would be paid GH¢2,500.00 per game, while non-FIFA referees receive GH¢2,000.00 per game for GPL games. DOL and WPL referees will each take home GH¢1, 000.00.
In addition to these, referees will continue to enjoy a 50 per cent discount on travels via the FA’s partnership with STC plus other incentives.
Okraku’s administration deserves a pat on the shoulder for realising the need to bolster the referees who have often gone about their activities under very grim circumstances with many complaining of non-payment of their allowances.
Announcing these incentives must not just be a rhetoric. The FA must ensure that funds are readily available to make sure they are paid on time.
It is the hope of many that the stories about referees depending on their partners or friends as well as club officials before honouring their roles should be something of the past.
That would be the only way to sustain the hype around these incentives and justify the actions of football people that voted for the amendments that sought to suggest that Kurt Okraku is on his way to a third term.
By Andrew Nortey
Ghana Premier League side, Nations FC, may have suffered the drop in the just ended Premier League and are destined for a fresh campaign in the Division One League (DOL).
But they stand a huge chance of remaining in the elite stage of the game as they face Dreams FC in an epic MTN FA Cup final at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium tomorrow at 6pm.
Dreams FC have been there before; going ahead to taste the honours in the 2022-23 season after defeating King Faisal.
Coming from a season that saw them crawl from the initial stages of the league to finish on a respectable fourth position, they come in as strong favourites to double their honours in the nation’s second top football competition.
History favours them in this regard. On their first final, they conquered and based on this, connoisseurs of the game have tipped them to make it ‘two-on-two.’
But Nations FC have been empowered by the age-old adage that “He that is down need fear no fall.”
Nothing can be worse than suffering relegation and exiting the limelight as far as exposure is concerned.
But the FA offers a decent opportunity to make them stay relevant.
Conquering Dreams FC would not just make them MTN FA Cup champions. It will grant them the prestigious slot to represent Ghana in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) second tier club competition- the Confederations Cup.
With Dreams FC harbouring the same ambitions, the stage is, therefore, set for a final that promises to be explosive and uncompromising.
The situation of Nations FC might have come to many as a surprise, considering their promising start to the season, with their defence especially, marshalled by Black Stars defender, Razak Simpson, and colleague central defender, Raymond Grippman, earning a lot of reviews.
But despite the struggles they endured at certain times of their campaign, the MTN FA Cup always provided slices of good fortunes as they managed to navigate their way to the final.
Road to the top
Nations FC began the MTN FA Cup competition on a promising note, enjoying some good runs with a win over DOL Zone Two side, Ebony FC, in the Round of 64.
That landed them in a tricky encounter with another high-flying Zone Two candidate, AshantiGold SC, a side that eventually won the title from the zone to qualify to the Premier League, but escaped.
At the round of 16 stage, they encountered and defeated Ghana Premier League side, Swedru All Blacks, 2-1 to gain progression to the quarter final stage where they edged Berekum Chelsea on penalties.
A dicey semi-final awaited them against Aduana FC in Swedru. It was a game Nations was given little chance to escape considering Aduana FC’s form but once again, they conquered to secure a final berth.
In total, the Abrankese-based club have scored eight goals and conceded only two throughout the competition, making them one of the strongest defensive sides in the tournament.
For Dreams FC, they defeated Division One League Zone Three side, Semper Fi, 2-1 to progress to the next stage of the competition where they accounted for Division Two side, Asanska FC, 2-0.
That handed them a quarterfinal berth where they faced Inter Allies and drew one all before winning 4-3 on penalties.
The happiest moment in their success story was a 3-2 semi-final win over GPL winners, Medeama SC.
With that feat, Dreams have been touted as potential winners as the match comes at a time the Nations FC side may be psychologically down over the weight of the challenge they face in the next season.
However, the competition has gain notoriety for not following any form guide and outcomes mostly coming as major surprises.
In this regard, Dreams may be tipped as favourite candidates but though Nations are wounded, the stakes could revive an insatiable desire to apply the brakes to turn the dreams of Dreams FC into a nightmare.
Support
The support from MTN Ghana has no doubt improved competition among the clubs with the attractive incentive packages for participating clubs.
MTN Ghana, which is celebrating 30 years of operations in Ghana, formally became headline sponsors of the Ghana FA Cup in the 2010/2011 football season after the competition had returned from an eight-year hiatus.
The first edition under MTN sponsorship was won by Nania FC, who defeated Asante Kotoko 1–0 in the final at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Since then, the competition has been known as the MTN FA Cup, with MTN renewing its sponsorship several times — in 2013, 2017, 2020 and again for subsequent seasons.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Stars have opened camp in Cardiff ahead of next week’s international friendly against Wales.
The team is being taken through training drills by head coach Carlos Queiroz.
Thirteen players trained at Dragon Park on Monday, with others expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
They include Ernest Nuamah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jordan Ayew, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Elisha Owusu, Gideon Mensah, Marvin Senaya, Jerome Opoku, Benjamin Asare, Joseph Anang, Solomon Agbasi, and Alidu Seidu.
The Black Stars will train in Cardiff for one week ahead of the international friendly against Wales on Tuesday, June 2, before traveling to the United States of America.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will use the period to assess his players before naming his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Twenty-six players will be submitted to FIFA on Monday, June 1, as mandated by the competition regulations.
The Black Stars are drawn in Group L with Panama, England, and Croatia. They will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto before facing England and Croatia in their other group matches.
