Sports Minister Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye has said that he feels disrespected that the Black Stars met a delegation from President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo without the knowledge of the ministry.
A delegation from the incoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, which included Isaac Asiamah, the minority spokesperson on sports, and Mustapha Hamid, spokesperson for the newly-elected president, interacted with officials of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the players in Accra on Sunday January 1.
After receiving assurances of the support of the incoming president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Black Stars midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu thanked the incoming president and pledged the team’s commitment to win the trophy at this month’s Afcon.
“We have been training in Accra and will travel to UAE to continue preparations and with the confidence and morale in camp, we believe Nana Akufo-Addo will receive the trophy in February”, the Italian-based player stated.
But Mr Vanderpuye has condemned authorities involved in the organisation of the meeting, adding that it was wrong to bypass the minister who has direct oversight over the affairs of the Black Stars.
“The Black Stars is the property of the state, and who is in charge now? …Appropriately, the Minister of Youth and Sports, on behalf of the president who owns the national team on behalf of Ghanaians, should have been informed,” he said on Monday, December 2.
According to the minister, he does not have anything against “the Black Stars team congratulating the president-elect”, explaining: “I am saying, if the team is going to be involved in such a thing, it is only appropriate. The Black Stars is not the property of the GFA and the Black Stars Management Committee.
“The Black Stars is the property of the state and the president of the Republic of Ghana is responsible for everything belonging to the state at this moment in time and he exercises his responsibility through his ministers and officials,” he told Mamavi Aboagye on JoyNews.
The Black Stars are currently preparing for the AFCON 2017 tournament to be held in Gabon.
Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com
