Government’s intervention to support athletes is a blessing – GFA capo
The President of the GFA, Kurt Okraku has described the government’s stimulus package aimed at supporting athletes in these hard times as a blessing.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, July 9, the head of the association said it will go a long way to ease pressure on the clubs and their administrators in Ghana in a critical situation at the moment.
Mr Okraku, who was elected into office in November last year, hailed the Youth Employment Agency’s Youth in Elite Sports program aimed at helping about 1000 athletes as a move that will cushion athletes in times like this
Mr Kurt Okraku believes the most affected in the sports industry in the country is women’s football and lamented over the hardships the female footballers go through in the country.
According to him, there are sixteen female premier league clubs in Ghana and almost all of them earn nothing playing football.
He asked for more government support because to him, no country has developed or made any meaningful impact in sports without the help of the central government.
To him, in order for the game to develop, there is the need for a better relationship between the government and the football community to improve our local game by financially aiding the association and strengthening the clubs to help get to the level we all aspire to.
The FA boss finally pleaded with the corporate world to come on board to help ailing football clubs in the country as football contributes a lot to the economy.
The Youth in Elite Sports program under the Youth Employment Agency, recently agreed to pay GHC 500.00 a month to 1,000 athletes for the next six months in this covid-19 era.
The Football Association decided that its share be channelled towards women’s football. In all 480 female footballers in the Women’s League will be beneficiaries of the relief package.
The 2019-2020 football season has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Mustapha Hadji (Dean of sports).
