For 19 years, Ghana has refused to sign one document that could have prevented the mess we see today. That document is the FIFA Standard Cooperation Agreement (SCA).
Now, with the Black Stars at the bottom of Group C after defeats to Ivory Coast and The Gambia, with coach Carlos Queiroz gone, and with the Sports Ministry and GFA in open confrontation, Ghana must sign it — immediately.
Ghana has NEVER signed it since 2007.
WHAT IS IT?
After global confusion over government interference vs FA autonomy, FIFA approved the Standard Cooperation Agreement on October 27, 2007, and circulated it to all 211 members on December 28, 2007, effective January 1, 2008.
Its purpose, as stated in FIFA’s own text, is to “define the remit and duties of the Football Association, the government body responsible for Sports and other bodies” and to “ensure better cooperation and partnership necessary for good governance and optimum development of football within FIFA Statutes.”
It does NOT give government control of football. It gives government a legal seat at the table when public money is spent.
During the 2014 Dzamefe Commission, member Geofrey Oteng-Arthur tendered the document. It revealed:
– Article 31(i): FA and government must meet to discuss how subsidies are managed.
– Article 39: An annual review meeting between FA and government, with a FIFA official invited if necessary.
In plain language: If you spend government money, you must account for it.
GHANA’S 19-YEAR FAILURE
As FIFA Normalisation Committee member Naa Odofoley Nortey revealed on GTV Sports+ in 2020: “Ghana has not signed the FIFA Standard Cooperation Agreement since its introduction in 2007. Both past and present Ministers have failed to append their signatures.”
Five Ministers of Youth and Sports, four GFA administrations, one World Cup visa scandal, and one Anas exposé later — still no signature. That is why we are here.
WHO SIGNED AND WHAT THEY GAINED
More than 150 countries have signed. They are not banned. They are developed.
– South Africa: Signed a cooperation agreement in 2024 for FIFA to establish a fully funded Regional Development Office in Johannesburg to serve Southern Africa.
– France & Rwanda, Morocco, Senegal: Signed agreements linking government investment in infrastructure with FIFA Forward funding, Football for Schools, and women’s football programmes.
– Qatar & Spain: Just signed a security cooperation agreement for World Cup 2030.
Result: Stadia built with state money, FIFA money protected, no threats of bans.
Ghana gets threats because we operate in a vacuum.
WHY GHANA MUST SIGN NOW — THE KOFI ADAMS FACTOR
On October 2, 2026, Sports Minister Kofi Iddie Adams issued 7 radical directives after meeting GFA President Kurt Okraku. The most important: “conclude and sign a FIFA-standard cooperation agreement aimed at formalising joint decision-making between the government and the GFA.”
Minister Adams understands what his predecessors did not. He told Max TV this week:
“Government is sponsoring it [Ghana Premier League] and intends to continue to sponsor up to a point that the clubs can be on their feet.
“Government is interested in building our domestic clubs and leagues.”
The facts back him:
– For 2025/26 and 2026/27, each of the 18 Premier League clubs received GH¢1 million in government support — GH¢18 million total.
– Champions prize money increased from GH¢500k to GH¢2m through government intervention.
– At the GFA Congress, Adams asked the critical question: “What did the 1 million Ghana Cedis build?” — demanding commercial departments, academies, medical systems, and club shops, not just season survival. 3104
If government is now the official sponsor of the Ghana Premier League, how can we operate without a legal cooperation agreement?
We cannot give GH¢18 million and then be told FIFA will ban us if we ask how it was spent. The SCA solves that.
Minister Adams himself said: “FIFA, in its statutes, has the Standard Corporate Agreement, so it creates space for the government, which spends money, to have a certain relationship with the GFA.”
He is right.
5 REASONS GHANA MUST SIGN IN 7 DAYS
1. It Protects Us From a FIFA Ban: Once signed, government oversight is not “interference” — it is part of a FIFA-recognised agreement.
2. Accountability: Article 31 gives the state legal power to audit Black Stars and GPL money. No more “missing” visa cash.
3. Joint Technical Control: No more unilateral coach appointments. The new National Technical Management Committee (2 government + 2 GFA) will have legal backing.
4. Development Money: Signed countries host FIFA offices and get infrastructure. Ghana, as a leading football nation, should host West Africa’s hub.
5. Trust: 5.3 million listeners on Adom/Asempa hear daily anger. A signed agreement tells Ghanaians football is no longer run like a secret society.
MY APPEAL
To Minister Kofi Adams: You have found the money for the league. Now find the pen. Sign the SCA before the Somalia double-header.
To GFA President Kurt Okraku: You agreed to work towards it in your communique. Don’t delay it. Signing does not weaken GFA — it strengthens your claim to government money and the accountability it comes with.
To Ghanaians: For 19 years, past Ministers refused because they feared FIFA. South Africa, Rwanda, and France signed and were not banned. They developed.
Ghana football is at a breaking point. The Gambia defeat was not just a loss; it was a national embarrassment that exposed the rot within the system.
The Standard Cooperation Agreement is the final nail in the coffin of FA unilateral control — and the first brick in rebuilding Ghana football.
Sign it now.
