Weija-Gbawe MP Jerry Ahmed Shaib has defended Parliamentarians’ right to comment on the state of Ghanaian football, describing Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Okraku’s response to criticism from his colleague Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah as inappropriate.
The comments follow a public exchange between Okraku and the Manhyia South MP, who criticised aspects of Ghana football, including the condition of football facilities and the direction of the sport.
Okraku subsequently questioned Awuah’s knowledge of football and suggested that he should have raised his concerns with the GFA privately.
Shaib, however, believes MPs should be free to express their views on football, particularly given the sport’s importance to Ghanaians.
“I think we are so power-drunk in Ghana. You become the bad person when you criticise someone in power. So now even as Members of Parliament we can’t talk about football because we are MPs?” he said on Asempa FM’s Sports Nite.
The MP said he agreed with Awuah’s concerns about the current state of Ghanaian football, arguing that the standard of the game had declined compared with previous generations.
“I listened to my colleague, Agyei Baffour Awuah. I don’t know where he had the interview, but I agree with him 100%. Football is not the same standard we came to meet,” he said.
Shaib pointed to the generation of Ghanaian players that included former Black Stars midfielders Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari, while stressing the enduring passion for the national team.
“I have seen the likes of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, among others. I went to the World Cup to watch the games, and I was on tenterhooks, not knowing when to scream, laugh or smile. Our hearts are in football,” he added.
The MP also criticised Okraku’s response to Awuah, arguing that football is a national issue and therefore open to public scrutiny.
“So for a Member of Parliament to comment on football and the feedback from the GFA President is to attack the Member of Parliament, it’s so gross and repulsive. So low and unbecoming of a GFA President,” Shaib said.
He also questioned Okraku’s suggestion that people with concerns about Ghana football should contact the GFA directly rather than raise them publicly.
“The GFA President said we should call. If we have a problem, everybody should call the FA. Is that what he was requesting us to do?” he asked.
Shaib said Awuah’s proposals should be considered as part of the wider discussion about improving Ghana football rather than dismissed because of his position as an MP.
Awuah has maintained his criticism of the state of Ghanaian football and has called for reforms to the GFA’s governing framework.
The exchange has added to the wider debate over the direction of Ghana football, with questions continuing to be raised about the administration of the sport, infrastructure and the structures governing the GFA.
