AFCON participation, WC qualifiers are expensive – Sports minister Mustapha justifies $25 million budget

The Minister for Youth and Sports, Hon. Mustapha Ussif, has revealed that the state will spend at least $700,000 on each of the Black Stars’ upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches set to begin in June this year.

The Minister made the revelation in explaining why his office needed $25 million dollars to fund national team activities for the next two years.

Ghana will engage South Africa, Sudan and Ethiopia in the qualifiers, playing each country twice for a total of six matches.

If Ghana tops the group, they will then be drawn against one of the other ten group winners in the last round of qualifiers for a home and away tie that will determine the five countries to represent the continent in Qatar.

Asked on how much of the $25 million will go to funding Black Stars activities, the Minister said the team’s qualifying campaign for the world cup alone will cost the state an estimated $5.6 million.

“Out of the $25 million, if we have to play in the AFCON, we have to prepare. And we need to play two friendly games. And besides that, the world cup qualifiers that we have to play, we will not spend less than $700,000 on each match.

“Then we are then going to participate in the AFCON and we have to play a series of matches, all the way to the final. So this is an expensive venture.

“We need to plan so we don’t have a repeat of what happened in Brazil when we don’t get money for the players, then they will refuse to pay and instead of focusing on delivery, everybody will now be on the minister,” he said.

Government has already dedicated $10 million to the Ministry and put together a four-member team headed by the Sports Minister to raise the remaining $15 million to make up the ministry’s required $25 million.

Citifmonline.com