Sports News of Monday, 17 February 2014

Source: ghanasportsonline.com

GFA is full of mediocrity - Herbert Mensah

Former Asante Kotoko chairman Herbert Mensah has launched a stinging attack on the Ghana Football Association describing the country's highest football governing body as 'a club of old school friends' who lack the will to transform football in the country.

Mensah claims the GFA only thrives on mediocrity and has thus concentrated excessively on the Black Stars which he believes is easier to deal with, than funding the local game in general.

In an interview with Accra-based Power FM, the former King Faisal FC CEO also insisted that members of the Football Association don't employ competent administrators, but people who are only interested in jumping from one committee to the other.

“We live in a society where mediocrity exists and I really think that the FA themselves should stop becoming a club of old school friends and mates saying to themselves that I am no longer on this committee so go to this committee. I don’t think that the FA gives an impression that they really care, sadly. So I think their actions say we will deal with the Black Stars because they are easier to deal with but funding is a lot more difficult to deal with," Mensah said.

Mensah, who is credited with introducing sponsorship and player structured staff remuneration into the Ghanaian game, also added that, “Rather than dealing with the problems that are around the domestic game, I don’t think that there is a will within the GFA and this is not an attack on Kwesi (Nyantakyi). We need to get that whole mentality of mediocrity out. Kwasi has to stamp his authority and bring in expertise that at the end of the day has a better reflection on what Ghana wants”.

Since its formation, the Ghana FA Marketing and Sponsorship Committee members have failed to secure highly valuable sponsorship deals for the Premier League, raising questions about the quality of administrators on the Committee.

The FA’s 5-year Premier League Headline sponsorship contract with First Capital Plus Bank was valued at US$10 million while reports say the 3-year Premier League’s Broadcast Rights deal with Supersport was valued at only US$2.1 million.