Afcon 2023: Sports Minister, GFA hauled before Parliament to account

Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif will appear before Parliament’s Select Committee on Sports as part of a probe into Ghana’s campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023).

Ussif is expected to answer questions on the Ministry’s involvement in the Black Stars preparations, budget and expenditure-related issues for the tournament.

The Member of Parliament for Yagaba Kubori is expected to clarify how Ghana spent in excess of $3 million in 11 days during the tournament.

The parliamentary probe into Ghana’s AFCON 2023 campaign will commence on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

Chaired by Kobina Woyome, the committee will also take testimony from the Ghana Football Association, the Black Stars management committee, the Ghana League Clubs Association, the National Sports Authority, and past and current members of the Black Stars.

Members of the Save Ghana Football Forum, a pressure group that held a demonstration in the aftermath of Ghana’s abysmal AFCON 2023 campaign, will also appear before the committee.

“The aim of the probe is to get a fundamental understanding of the issues that have led us to this point. To interrogate the individual decisions and conducts that may in one way or the other have affected our Black Stars,” Kobina Woyome told JoySports.

Ghana exited the tournament staged in Cote d’Ivoire without winning a game and finished third in their group.