Top Journalist Fires Kofi Adams Over Lack of Transparency in Black Stars Budget

• Famous sports journalist blasts Ghana’s Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams for failing to release Black Stars’ budget
• The media personality states that the ministry's silence contradicts the commendable declaration of John Mahama
• The delay in releasing the budget raises concerns about the government’s true commitment to transparency

Seasoned sports journalist Delali Atiase, known for his insightful commentary on sports, has raised a major issue regarding the lack of transparency in the budget for the Black Stars of Ghana's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Madagascar.

This has sparked widespread outrage, as the Ghanaian public has been left in the dark just days before the crucial games.

The unmet promise of transparency

In an effort to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama issued a directive for the sports ministry to make the budget of the national football teams public. The president made this declaration in his recent State of the Nations Address in parliament, with Oduro Sarfo later providing more insights into how the GFA budgets for the various national team work.

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This directive was meant to ensure that taxpayers are well-informed about how their money is being spent on the country's football outfits. Mahama's call for transparency gained significant applause, with many Ghanaians and sports enthusiasts expecting the ministry to comply swiftly.

However, as the March 21 World Cup qualifier against Chad at the Accra Sports Stadium rapidly approaches, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, led by Kofi Adams, has failed to release the budget for the Black Stars. With only two days left before the highly anticipated match in the capital, Delali Atiase, and other sports pundits have criticized the sports minister for not fulfilling the promise of publicizing the budget.

Delali Atiase’s criticism of Kofi Adams

The veteran sports journalist at Luv FM, has expressed his frustration over the issue. He believes that the lack of transparency undermines the trust of the public, who deserve to know how much of their tax money is being allocated to the Black Stars for these upcoming fixtures. Atiase's comments resonate with many Ghanaians, who feel that the government should be more accountable when it comes to national teams and the funds used for their upkeep.

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"The Ghanaian taxpayer deserves to know how much money is being spent on the Black Stars' qualifiers. Sports minister, please make the budget public. This is not difficult as the President of the land John Mahama himself made that directive at the floor of parliament. So why are you shying away from making the budget known to Ghanaians? Minister, make the budget public. At least you have today and tomorrow to do that. If Kofi Adams fail to announce the budget publicly, it will make Mahama's declaration only a political gimmick with no genuine intent of establishing transparency," Delali Atiase said.

Crucial WC qualifiers vs Chad and Madagascar

The importance of these World Cup qualifiers cannot be overstated. The Black Stars will be facing Chad on March 21, followed by Madagascar on March 24 in Morocco. These games are crucial to Otto Addo and Ghana’s aspirations of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the West African nation occupying second in the qualifying Group 1.

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Given the national significance of the qualifiers, the lack of financial clarity has raised concerns about the possible deflection of attention from the readiness of the team and the overall management of the team.

Ghanaian fans and supporters of the Black Stars are not only eager for the team to perform well on the field but also for the management of the national team to be handled with the utmost professionalism and accountability, especially for a country that was hit by the Anas Aremeyaw Anas Number 12 corruption expose in June 2018.

The failure to release the budget leaves room for speculation and undermines the John Dramani Mahama's bold call for transparency in Ghana sports.

Accra Sports Stadium crisis

YEN.com.gh earlier reported the malfunctioning of the floodlights at the Accra Sports Stadium ahead of the Ghana vs Chad World Cup qualifier.

Source: YEN.com.gh