A member of the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Nana Sarfo Oduro, has defended the Association’s handling of accommodation and financial arrangements for national teams and coaches, insisting that such matters are often misunderstood by the public.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, he explained that the relationship between the GFA and the Ministry of Youth and Sports involves shared responsibilities, especially when it comes to travel and logistics for national teams.
“We don’t serve the public in that sense. If we do, the public will clap for us,” he said, stressing that both institutions work within agreed roles.
He noted that affiliate bodies such as Beach Soccer fall under the GFA structure, and sometimes responsibilities overlap between the Association and the Ministry.
“When they were travelling, it was the responsibility of the Ministry of Sports to book tickets for them,” he stated.
He further explained that in some cases, the GFA steps in when government support is not immediately available.
“For the U-15 girls, when they were travelling to Zimbabwe, we paid their tickets. For the U-17 girls who went to Togo recently, their hotel bills are still outstanding,” he revealed.
According to him, this shared arrangement makes it difficult to clearly separate responsibilities when it comes to new issues such as the accommodation of Black Stars coach Carlos Queiroz.
“We have a relationship, so if the new coach has come, who pays the hotel bill and who doesn’t? It’s not a simple issue,” he said.
Responding to public criticism, he dismissed concerns over the matter, arguing that GFA expenditure should not be treated as public funds scrutiny.
“If GFA is one of the funding, is it public funds? GFA spending is not public funding, so I don’t see why people should cry over it,” he stated.
He also questioned media reports on the issue, insisting that even journalists raising concerns may not have full details of the payment arrangements.
“As we speak, the journalists who raised this issue don’t even know who is paying the hotel bills,” he said.
Asked directly who is responsible for paying the new coach’s hotel bills, he responded:
“We have a marriage. If it reaches there, we will cross it. We have an understanding on who pays what.”
He added that the issue should not be overblown, noting that previous coaches have also been accommodated in hotels.
“This is not the first time a coach is staying in a hotel. Coaches have stayed in hotels and we have paid,” he said.
His comments come after the Ghana Football Association confirmed that newly appointed Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz will be accommodated in a hotel upon arrival in Ghana.
According to GFA Communications Director Sheikh Tophic Sienu, the five-bedroom official residence in Accra’s Airport Residential Area—previously allocated to the national team coach—has now been converted into office space.
Coach Queiroz is expected to be officially unveiled on April 23, 2026, as the GFA begins a new phase for the Black Stars.
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