GFA Is In Debt - Sannie Daara

Earlier this year, the Ghana football association received a cash boost from FIFA for which they will spend $5m on the local federations over the next four years.

Under previous programmes by the Ghana Football Association, each federation including the GFA got annual support amount of $400,000 to help in administering the game in the country.

However, Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association, Sannie Daara has disclosed that the football governing body is broke and that a lot of considerable development is burdened on the association.

According to him, the football association first propriety is to develop football in the country and that they are working to ensure that Ghana will have along successive future plans for the senior national teams.

“A lot of developmental football programmes are burdened on the football association, workers of the association are more than 200, yet it is this same FA that pays for their salaries, women’s football, seminars and other courses. Referees and coaches are all paid by the football association,” Sannie said.

Sannie Daara admitted that monies come from FIFA for the development of women football but the FA pays more than that cost and steps are being taken to ensure that the football association is sound all the time, yet the association is in debt.

“Yes, FIFA brings money for women’s football development but the FA pays more than what FIFA brings and so the little and other sources of money the FA makes are all channeled to women football,” he stressed.

On the development of youth football, Sannie Daara was of the view that the only way to have it developed is by agreeing to what the President of the GFA proposed that, 5% of the gate fees money to GHALCA will be reduced so 2.5% will be channeled to develop youth football.

Cash support from FIFA represents a 312% increment from the support the world governing body gives annually to it members to ensure their smooth operations.

According to FIFA, the financial support for member associations and football development has now jumped to $5m per every four-year cycle for each member association from the $1.6m paid to members for four years.
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