During a press briefing on Tuesday, September 2, Minister Adams outlined the budget for Ghana’s upcoming World Cup qualifier matches against Chad and Mali, confirming that the alleged bonuses for committee members had been cancelled.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show on Thursday, September 4, Opoku Bobie insisted that former Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif never authorised such payments.

He further challenged the Buem Constituency lawmaker to publicly release the full budget to clarify the matter.

Meanwhile, the Black Stars are set to face Chad in Matchday 7 of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers today at the Stade Olympique Maréchal Idriss Déby Itno, before hosting Mali in Matchday 8 at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday, September 8.

Audio below:

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The 34th edition of the AFCON tournament which is slated to be hosted in Ivory Coast next year is 37 days away from its commencement.

The Black Stars, who are four-time champions have already booked their place in the tournament and are paired with Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique in Group B.

With little over a month to go, the leadership of the Ghana FA is yet to present plans to the Sports Ministry.

According to Mr Bobie, his outfit has no idea where the team will pitch camp ahead of the tournament.

Quizzed about where Chris Hughton’s men will train ahead of AFCON in Ivory Coast, Bobie said: “Nothing has come before the Sports Ministry indicating where Ghana will pitch camp [ahead of AFCON 2023]. I might not be able to answer this question right now” he said.

On whether the team should pitch camp in the country before leaving for Ivory Coast, he added: “I am not a technical person. We are in charge of policy issues at the Ministry. As and when the technical handlers of the GFA bring this information, we will interrogate it and let the public know”.

Ghana, who last won the tournament in 1982 in Libya will hope to win the tournament having come close in 1992, 2010 and 2015.

The tournament will kick off from January 13 to February 11.

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Ghana opened their campaign with a nerve-wracking 3-2 win over Congo. In their second group game, the West African country were hoping to book an early semifinal qualification but suffered a 5-1 defeat against the host country, Morocco.

The Black Meteors, who now sit 3rd in Group A with three points, will take on Guinea later tonight at the Ibn Batouta Stadium.

Speaking ahead of the game, Bobbie ascribed that Ghana football is in decline and that flaws are visible, but the public are desperate for a trophy.

“Where our soccer has reached, everyone knows we have a lot of problems. I will admit. We are hungry for the cup but if you don’t have a solid team how do you win the cup? So we have had discussions and we will hold a meeting with FA when we get home,” he told Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV on YouTube.

“We have to have a discussion in Ghana involving all stakeholders and all the players in the sports industry. We need to have a sit-down and have a detailed discussion, including the ministry, the FA, the Sports journalist, and everyone in the industry so that we can figure out a way (to solve the issues),” he added.

He further shared his experience following a visit to Morocco’s national team facilities dubbed the Kings Sports Complex and questioned how the Meteors would win the trophy without doing through a proper project and structure.

“I had the privilege to visit the Kings Sports Complex. It is a solid, massive infrastructure. The young ones that beat us 5-1 were there. They camp the national teams there, U-17 has their hotel, U-20, and so on. So I realized that the result they got against us is because of what they have done over there…At the moment, the country wants a cup but how do you get the cup without proper preparation and a solid foundation? How? So what I will tell the people who are hungry for Cup is that the preparation to win the Cup is very weak,” he added.

Meanwhile, Guinea, who are tied on the same points with Ghana – 3 points each, will be aiming for at least a draw to progress on goal difference.

Ghana are on a hunt for Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualification to end their almost two-decade chase.

The game has been scheduled to kick off at 20:00GMT.

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Mr Bobie has stated it is an essential tool in every aspect of human life, thus, clubs need to communicate well with fans ahead of games.

He was speaking at the second edition of the Asempa Sports Dialogue at the Accra Digital Center, Friday, on the theme, Getting The Fans Back To The Stadium.

The ongoing 2022/23 Ghana Premier League has witnessed some poor attendance at the various stadia making it difficult for clubs to get enough revenue.

The dialogue was therefore on how to get the fans back to the various stadia.

Admitting the media can also help with publicity, the minister maintained it is the sole responsibility of clubs to take that up and make it happen.

“There should be a collaboration between the media and the clubs. The clubs should resort to traditional media and social media to communicate well with the fans.

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“Sometimes football administrators assume that the media will do the publicity but the administrators must pick up that responsibility and tell their fans to come to the stadium. If the message is delivered effectively, the fans will surely go to the stadium,” he urged.

Meanwhile, the second round of the Ghana Premier League started last weekend.

Violence and hooliganism at matches over the years have been evident at match centres leading to injuries and sometimes untimely death of fans.

Speaking at the Asempa Sports Dialogue at the Accra Digital Center, Mr Bobie emphasised that safety and security are important if fans will come to the stadium.

“If our venues are not safe, fans will be reluctant to attend games so we need to make our league centres very safe,” he urged.

He also added that the role of the security services especially the police can bring fans to the stadium.

“The security officials including the Police and the military should be engaged very well before the games.

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“The Police should not only be at the stadium to check tickets. During games and before games they need to ensure there is order,” he added.