The friction between the Sports Ministry and the Ghana Football Association looks to be taking a turn for the worse with the latest pronouncement from the sector Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, set to further inflame passions between the two entities.
And if the Black Stars lose a couple qualification matches along the way, who really cares?
Nii Lante has revealed to the Ghana News Agency that the government is looking at means of raising revenue to cover Black Stars games so that the state does not have to spend money on them, and the plan is to sell off the rights to individual games of the Stars to private companies who then get to market the team as they want and recoup the proceeds for themselves.
“We are having discussions with the Ministry of Finance on finding other sources of funding sports apart from the national kitty,” Vanderpuye told the GNA.
“One of the areas we are looking forward to is the franchising of Black Stars matches, so that whoever gives us that amount of money, which can take care of the budget of the team, then the person will have the right.
“We are still negotiating…we can give to the sponsor the number of matches the team would play and how much it will cost…if the sponsor is ready to give that amount of money, then fine.
“Then we will give the Black Stars to the sponsor to take care of advertising, broadcasting and everything. Whatever the sponsor gets out of it is theirs, “he added.
The only problem with this is that the Stars already have their major sponsors – and the broadcasting rights to qualification or finals games are owned by CAF/FIFA respectively, but let’s not get into the realm of the impossible.
The best part, according to Nii Lante, is that the GFA do not even have to consent for the team’s privatisation.
“The FA doesn’t fund national teams, the Ministry and Government does…so whatever means and sources are used to get the appropriate funding for the team, the GFA does not have the power to say no.”he added.
The Stars started world cup qualifying over the weekend in significant turmoil, being held to a goalless draw at home by Uganda over the background of incessant in-fighting between the Ministry and the FA.

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