Sports minister Ayariga endorses GFA honesty, insists relationship great

Published on: 02 August 2014
Sports minister Ayariga endorses GFA honesty, insists relationship great
Ayariga says the GFA is a professionally run organisation

Ghana's new Sports Minister Mahama Ayariga has rubbished suggestions that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) is a mafia-run organisation insisting his early interaction with the federation has painted a completely different picture.

The newly-appointed minister, who replaced Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, becomes the latest top government officials to give his ringing endorsement of the GFA after his predecessor gave a similar description of the country's football governing body.

Despite claims in the media that Ayariga has an uneasy relationship with the GFA following the decision to set up a commission to investigate the Black Stars unimpressive showing at the World Cup, the new minister says he enjoys a wonderful relationship with the federation.

"My relationship with the GFA, indeed I will say that I enjoy a very excellent relationship with the GFA," Ayariga told a press conference in Accra on Friday.

"When you're outside this ministry, the things you hear about the GFA, sometimes when you start working with them you're wondering whether it was the same GFA that was being discussed publicly.

"And I say this thing that there's nothing that I have done relating to sports that the GFA is not involved.

"Indeed we always meet to discuss  and agree on what to do and then we put in place a framework in doing it together".

"I have a close relations with the GFA and I intend to keep it that way working closely with the GFA and its structures. Every other issue internal to the GFA has to be address by the GFA through its internal mechanisms and not by the Ministry for Youth and Sports."

Hon Ayariga assumed office not long ago and is cautious to succeed at the Ministry which has become a banana peel for most government officials.

A few weeks into his reign, he called for a 60-man football retreat, inspected projects and sports facilities, all in pursuance of a successful reign.

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