By Adiza Bawa
Accountability in Sports became a topic for discussion during the third edition of the ”Saving Our Passion’ on GTV Sports+, when Sports Pundit, Saddick Adams raised questions with how money received from tournaments are expended.
For example, he said, nobody knows how much of the $11million of the 2010 World Cup gains was invested into Ghana Football.
”Citizens must know, provided the government is required to invest into games. Also, we must know if there was proper channeling of the said amount”.
Mr. Adams said, if the money was used adequately, the effect would have trickled down to every individual.
The Sports Journalist with Angel Broadcasting Services asked, ”What was the $8.5 million from the 2006 World Cup used for?.
He also asked, “where is the legacy project, after we have participated in three World Cups?”.
He alleged that the benefits have ended up in people’s pockets.
“People will sit outside and say that, at the World Cup, we went on top of cars and ran after the players. When they go, what do they bring?”he questioned.
“It’s not about a ghost agent somewhere who says they fronted the game and took more than $309,000. That was enough to renovate three pitches or four GPL Centres and this has been the pattern, a ghost agent receiving more money than what the potential winner of the GPL will take”, according to Saddick Adams.
The Sports Journalist said $20million is being asked from government to run the AFCON and World Cup, indicating that the money we get from World Cup and AFCON should be invested in trading grassroot footballers below the ages of 12 and 14.
He cited examples of countries like Mauritania making good use of its sponsorship money. He said most players in Europe have their players starting from the grassroots.
Saddick noted that “we could have changed the entire face of Ghana football with $10 million “.
