CAF warns govt to stay away from GFA; says they can only check expenditure, not appointment or sack of coaches

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has expressed worry over recent happenings at Ministry of Youth and Sports in relation to the operations of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

General Secretary of CAF, Veron Mosengo-Omba said the government has no right to get involved in the day-to-day management of the Federation which include the appointment of coaches for the national teams.

He explained that the government can only check the GFA’s expenditure after earmarking their budget and insist on them to account for every penny spent on Ghana football.

However, he added, the government will be exercising ultra vires when it gets involved in the decisions to appoint coaches for the national teams or sack them.

“Ghana has to concentrate on the World Cup, they have important game and they have to concentrate on this. Everybody has to be behind the Black Stars because they have important game coming up in March.

“To lose the game, to lose the cup is part of football. Ghana was eliminated [in the AFCON] and this is the rule of the game. The government, financially, they put the fund for them to prepare for the competition, that I have to thank the Government of Ghana on behalf of CAF President, thank you very much and this is the way of cooperation we want for our members and the government.

“The money that the government put forward for the Black Stars, the government has to check with the GFA how you spend each penny, they have to do that, we encourage them to do that but the redline is the government cannot involve in the management of the federation.

“Even if they lose you cannot say change the management, you have to change the coach. This will be very dangerous. we don’t want to come back on that again because this looks like interference. I beg the government that if tis is the intention, stop it. They can coerce them to monitor the funds that are put in , that is normal , I don’t think the GFA is against this , the President of CAF is not against this but please not involved in the management of the Federation,” he told a joint briefing of 3 Sports and Joy Sports and in Cameroon.

His comments come on the heels of the sack of the coach of the Black Stars Milovan Rajevac following the humiliation the team suffered in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports had met with the GFA to discuss the abysmal performance of the team.

The discussions, according to the Ministry, was frank and forward-looking, and they have asked the GFA to review the work of under-fire coach Milovan Rajevac and reconstitute the Black Stars management committee.

‪“Following the meeting, the Ministry, in accordance with its mandate, asked the Ghana Football Association to reconstitute the Black Stars management committee,” a statement signed by Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif read.

‪“The Ministry made it clear to the GFA that the people of Ghana had lost confidence in the capacity of the technical team of the Black Stars to deliver success.

“‪The Ministry, therefore, asked the GFA to review the work and capacity of the Black Stars’ technical team, led by head coach, Milovan Rajevac.”

Ghana lost 0-2 to Morocco in their opening game and went ahead to share the spoils with Gabon.

They lost 3-2 to Comoros Islands in a match that the four-time champions needed to win to stay in the competition.

Scores of livid Ghanaians called for the sacking of the coach.

For instance, a former President of the GFA, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe called for the dissolution of the entire team.

He also called for the appointment of a new coach who should be given the space to work and select the players he believes can deliver.

Asked whether Ghana should get new set of players for the Black Stars, Dr Nayho Nyaho-Tamakloe answered” Absolutely. That is what should be done now because what I saw this evening was so disturbing.

“You can see that for the first time we have players who were not focusing on what they were doing because some of the goals that came in are very disturbing. If you have a good defense and you are really focused some of the balls will not get in the net at all.”

“I believe strongly the Black Stars itself should be dissolved completely and then we hire a very competent coach. Such competent coach should be given the opportunity to select the boys himself and also this must be done very quickly because I believe next year, we are going to have another AFCON,” he said on Ghana programme Tuesday January 18.