GFA in tight corner over sharing of FIFA money
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is saddled with a serious headache as to how to disburse the $500,000 FIFA Relief Fund to clubs.
Though the funds are yet to hit the GFA accounts, the high rate of expectancy among clubs has compelled the GFA Executive Council (ExCo) to meet for the second time within a week on Thursday to iron out how the limited amount should be shared among the numerous clubs.
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Disclosing this to the Daily Graphic in an exclusive interview last Saturday, ExCo member, Samuel Anim Addo, was optimistic that the money would hit the FA's accounts in the coming weeks, hence the need for Thursday's meeting to decide who got what.
He revealed that the Finance Committee of the FA, chaired by the Vice President, Mark Addo, had been tasked to submit a proposal at the meeting regarding the modalities on how the money should be disbursed among the clubs.
The ExCo members will therefore scrutinise it and conclude on the method to be used to share the money in the interest of the clubs. Beneficiaries of the money range from clubs in the topflight right down to juvenile clubs.
Earlier this year, the world football governing body announced a stimulus package for its Member Associations as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, with the GFA expected to receive $1million which would be paid in two tranches of $500,000 each.
According to the GFA president, Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku, the first installment was expected to arrive this month, while the final payment was to be paid by January next year.
Aside that, FIFA has also voted an extra $500,000 to women's football clubs as well.
Prior to that, FIFA had offered to support the GFA with $500,000, being its annual Forward Money to Member Associations to cover operational cost.
The announcement of that money by the GFA a couple of months ago stirred serious agitation among some Premier and Division One clubs who prevailed upon the FA to share that money to mitigate their plight.
However, the GFA stood its grounds, insisting that the funds were advanced by FIFA for a specific purpose, while promising to give the clubs their due when the FIFA Relief Fund arrived.
Bechem United, one of the clubs which demanded financial support from the FA due to the struggle to pay their players, claimed that their financial predicament had forced some of their local players to resort to farming to earn some income to support their families.
Last week, the bankroller of Bechem United, Kingsley Owusu Achau, aka Agama, complained of the untold hardship that the club had to endure as a result of the cancellation of the league and the fact that he had to squeeze water out of stone to support some of the club's foreign players who could not travel back to their respective countries as a result of the lockdown.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has also increased its annual financial support to Member Associations from $200,000 to $300,000.
The decision was taken, among other issues relating to the schedule of continental competitions, at a crucial video conference last Tuesday.