President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, am cautioning you to be wary of the management of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the current national team the Black Stars, because they were part of the reasons the middle class and football fans voted against the out gone president Mahama.
You promised to protect the purse but I can assure you that these unscrupulous members of the management committee of the Black Stars will defeat the purpose and make your government very unpopular. The signs are boldly written on the walls of the Jubilee House but I want you to succeed hence the caution. They are going to make your government unpopular just like they embarrassed and humiliated the Mahatma government.
Your first budget of over $ 3.4million went to the team for the AFCON 2017 in Gabon . The prize money for winning the competition is $4 million When you delegated your spoke person Mustapha Hamid and Isaac Asiamah to meet the members of the Black Stars, their only request was to increase their bonus from $8,000 to $10,000. This team has not won any trophy in many years.
Ghana tops all the participation teams in terms of remuneration at the tournament. Egypt has won the cup 7 times, Cameroun has won it 4 times all in recent times. The last time Ghana won the trophy was 32 years ago and yet they are getting the highest bonuses.
When Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuje took office he tried to streamlined certain financial indiscipline at the Ghana Football Association and that was the beginning of their so called frosty relationship. I remember, in trying to protect our purse to save money to develop the other sports, he took away the bonuses of the management and asked them to justify why they deserve it because when they travel with the team they are paid per diem, hotel and plane fares are all catered for so why the bonus. I said already the management and the players of the senior national team have turned the team into an ATM machines from which they draw money they have not worked for,
This did not go down well with the greedy adults with sharp teeth and lashing tongue, so the Chairman of the Greater Accra RFA Nii Kommetey went on air to insult and called Nii Lante names,it was followed by the Western Regional Representative of the GFA , Kojo Yankah, then the Spokes person of GFA Ibrahim Saane Daara. He also took away the unclassified and indemnity (BRIBE) unaccountable money from them. These were in the range of $400.000 to $600.000 per match not to mention the nearly $ 1 million per match. These financial discipline at the ministry did not go down well with their plan, so they termed Nii Lante as bad and worst Minister so far, therefore at every opportunity they took him to the cleaners. Fact is he went into their books and found out the malfeasance. They were not transparent in their business nor accountable for any money they took from the government especially the unclassified and the indemnity monies for which never have they accounted to anyone how its dispense.
The GFA is the most indiscipline and disrespectful entity under any ministry in the country. I can imagine Ken Ofori Atta ,the Finance Minister designate gives instructions to the banking institutions or a micro finance company and they openly defy and instead insult the minister who is working for prudent financial discipline. They are the cause of the high turn over of ministers at the ministry. Its alleged that they corrupt ministers on assumption of office and once you fall for it ,it opens the gate for their shady deals. Nii Lante prevented them from misusing the government purse hence their frosty relationship. President Akuffo Addo and all your ministers no one could reprimand Kwesi Nyantekyi for referring to Nii Lante as irrelevant and said” if the budget is not increase there will be a repetition of Brazil 2014. We should all remember Nii Lante Vanderpuje was a minister and a representative of John Mahama. It was so disrespectful and if care is not taken they will do it to the new minister since it’s alleged he is in bed with them.
When Nigerian President M Buhari took office, he put a disclaimer on the Nigerian government website saying henceforth the government can only pay any Green Eagles player $5000 per match. If any player feels the money is insufficient he can refuse the national call. He followed up with another order to pay every player in local currency and through a local bank so they in turn will be tax when transferring it into their foreign accounts. Trust me your sincerely not a single player has declined a national team call up. What is so special about these indiscipline, selfish and disrespectful Black Stars players that every governmemt official is afraid of them. Football does not contribute to the health of Ghanaians or help pay hospital bill or school fees. Their players play regular in the English Premier league and unlike our Black Stars players who are uneducated ,greedy and bench warmers. Nema, Messi, Saurez, Rooney , and Rolando among others make their fortune at the club side and not their national teams. With the our players its the opposite. What a shame and unpatriotic players.
Yet Ghana have a management member who can refer to outgoing minister Nii Lante, as irrelevant because he refused their outrageous budget demand of $5.7 million which he slashed to $3.6million. The difference did not go into his private pocket.
After all the prize money for winning the AFCON is $4 million. Mr President you can do the math and see how many villages can benefit or how many dams could be constructed from the difference in the budget cut. I believe Kwesi Nyantekyi and Co should be looked in the face and told how Ghanaians feel about their non intelligent decision.
Our Last World Cup qualifying match against Uganda at Tamale , when they presented their budget, Nii Lante took it and decided that his ministry will get them the hotel they needed , the bus that suits the team, and all the needed logistics, yet they were not happy because it exposed the corruption at the GFA . This according to the GFA damped the morale of the team.
Mr President, you promised Ghanaians on your inauguration Value for Money. Mr President if you don’t strategize to make pragmatic and bold decision to cut back on the wanton dissipation of the monies going to these people who have converted the Black Stars into a money making machine you will be a one time president. The recent records are there for you. Ghana’s greatest humiliation and embarassment happened in Brazil 2014 and under the watch of these same group of players and management.
President Akuffo Addo i want to inform you and members of your government that of the 23 playing body of the national team only one player Richard Ofori of Wa All Stars voted for you in the December 7 2016 elections and you are trying to please these players who are uneducated ,disrespectful, rude and unpatriotic at the expense of my uncles at Moree in the KEEA who did everything to vote against their own, Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur, who was the Vice President of the out gone NDC. President be wary.
President Akuffo Addo remember during your electioneering campaign your promised Ghanaians One Village one Dam, One District One million dollars, Incompetence, Zongo Development Fund , Minimized Corruption and Protecting Our Purse and the message resonated with the people and therefore gave you their mandate by voting for you massively. You did not even mentioned anything about the Black Stars or Ghanaians did not vote for you because of the Black Stars , because looking at how they are misusing the national purse for their individual advantage , they will create voter apathy for you soon.
Mr President am sure you are aware of the revelations of the Justice Dzamefe Presidential Commission report which immediate past president failed to implement and the middle class and the football fratenity punished him for that singular failure. You are also aware that the turn over of ministers at the Ministry of Youth and Sports is the highest at any ministry in the history of Ghana.
The Dzamefe White Paper categorically ordered the current vice president of the GFA George Afriyie not to go near any of the national teams because of his conduct regarding how he presented his case at the commission. The White Paper also recommended that payments should not be made in cash but cheques through their local banks.
Lets be mindful that the budget and the bonuses of the Black Stars is one of the highest in the world of football. It does not compare to countries like Germany, England, France, Brazil among others.
President Akuffo Addo the middle class who do not want to be spectators but participating citizens are watching you and will have an answer for you in December’ 2020. If you allow the GFA and the Black Stars to continue this way you stand to lose over 2 million voters who are patriotic and nationalistic who want to protect the nation’s purse.
Isaac Asiamah Youth and Sports minister designate was your wrong choice even though you make the final determination for who goes where. My reasons are during the electioneering campaign there was concrete snippets that some GFA members assisted with his campaign financially and materially. Also when Isaac Asiamah retained his seat there was a wide jubilation at the GFA office on December 7 2016. The GFA have already compromised and corrupted him before he was nominated. President Akuffo Addo I know you have been in Ghana the whole time when all these irresponsible and abuse of public purse by a few selfish and greedy individuals who did not give you a single vote.
President Akufo-Addo be wary of the so called football people they will bring you shame and disgrace and you might be a one term president.