Only $2m of $25m target for Black Stars was raised – Minister

The  Minister for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif says only $2 million of the targeted $25 million for the Black Stars campaign was raised.

He also told Parliament of Government’s plans to improve the performance of the senior national team.

He gave the assurance on the floor of the House in his response to a statement by Mr. Wisdom Kobena Woyome, Member of Parliament for South Tongu on the poor performance of the Black Stars in the ongoing 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon, which led to their early exit.

The Minister said the technical bench of the Team had been tasked to come up with more details on the selection and management of the players to ensure better performance in future tournaments.

Mr. Ussif said there was a roadmap to encourage inter-schools participation in active sports to ensure the best talents are harnessed for future national sports endeavours and to widen the scope of selection to the national soccer team.

The Minister said prior to the 2021 AFCON, a Presidential Fundraising for corporate entities was launched to raise fund for various activities such as the Black Stars playing in AFCON and the World Cup, if they eventually qualified.

He said the target was to raise $25 million, of which only $2 million was realised.

He said Ghanaians were disappointed in the poor performance of the Black Stars in the 2021 AFCON.

Mr. Woyome in his statement called for a critical look at sports development in total, if Ghana wants to be seen as a sports nation.

The statement by the South Tongu MP attracted comments by MPs from both sides of the House, who spoke against the poor performance of the Black Stars, with most of them calling for a revamping of the team.

Source: GNA