Citi Sports understands that up to 28 sports associations want autonomy from the National Sports Authority (NSA).
This is after repeated complaints over several years about the neglect of other sporting disciplines apart from football.
The NSA is the umbrella body for all the sports associations in Ghana but after continuous complaints of nonchalance from its constituents, the Minister for Youth and Sport was invited for crisis talks at the Accra Sports Stadium on Thursday.
Citi Sports can confirm that the meeting did not take place because Hon. Afriyie-Ankrah asked for a postponement.
The reason, Citi Sports understands, was due to an urgent meeting the minister had to attend with President Mahama.
In lieu of his absence, however, several officials of such influential associations as boxing, tennis, swimming and athletics, have strongly mooted the idea of autonomy.
“Because we are tied at the belly with the NSA, no matter what we do we have to get direction and funds from them. This money is always not coming,” one of the heads told Citi Sports.
The associations that are unhappy with the state of things choose to remain anonymous because they fear being removed from their posts.
However, Citi Sports has had several interviews with the heads of the basketball, swimming, hockey, boxing, tennis, badminton and many other associations in the past year where they have openly lamented the lack of funding to execute their annual plans.
Two weeks ago, Benjamin Baafi, President of the Ghana Basketball Association told Citi Sports that “the ministry is doing nothing for us and all they know is football, while our funding never comes.”
Funding has been the biggest challenge of many of the associations, despite the government’s allocation 3.3 million cedis to the National Sports Authority (NSA) as budget for the various sporting disciplines at last November’s reading of the budget for this year.
In reaction to the current impasse, a former Board Chairman of the National Sports Authority, Dr. Henry Puffa told Citi Sports that the situation is exacerbated by the power vacuum existing in the NSA.
“Our sports in Ghana are snoring. The position of the Board of Directors of the National Sports Authority is not clear and that is the issue.
“It’s not clear if the previous Board is there or not. The government must be honest with us as far as the situation of the Board is concerned and for democratic governance, an instrument must be used to appoint a substantive Board and an acting Director General.”
A date for further talks between Hon. Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah and the gathering of the sporting associations will be announced shortly.
By: Gary Al-Smith/Citifmlonine.com/Ghana