GFA EXCO Member Nana Sarfo Oduro Slams Sports Minister Over “Clueless” Comment on Club Owners
Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Nana Sarfo Oduro, has fired back at Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, following the latter’s recent comments describing some Ghana Premier League club owners as “clueless” in the wake of escalating violence in domestic football.
The strong rebuttal comes after a Ghana Premier League fixture between Basake Holy Stars and Nations FC was abandoned due to violent scenes, with Nations FC alleging their president, Dr. Kwame Kyei, was assaulted.
The incident drew condemnation from stakeholders, with the Sports Minister expressing disappointment and questioning the leadership of some club administrators.
Oduro, speaking on Adom TV’s “Fire for Fire” show hosted by Kobby Stonne, condemned the Minister’s remarks, arguing that such public criticism was inappropriate and demonstrated a lack of understanding of how football administration works.
“I don’t think the Minister for Health will stand in the public and criticise owners of private hospitals and tell them they are clueless. If the Minister for Sports understands football, he wouldn’t have said some club owners are clueless.”
However, Nana Sarfo Oduro believes the blame lies partially with the GFA itself, admitting they failed to properly engage the Minister with relevant football governance materials upon his assumption of office.
“I will blame the GFA; including myself. When he came into office, we should have given him the code of ethics, disciplinary code, statutes and regulations of the FA.”
He also challenged the Minister’s understanding of administrative procedures in football matters.
“I heard him saying he is waiting for the match report. From who? The match reports come to the GFA, not the Minister.”
In a direct appeal to the Presidency, Oduro called for a revamp of the Ministry’s approach to sports management.
“I will plead with the President of Ghana to make the Sports Ministry active so that Ministers will get something to do and not talk about things they don’t know. If the Minister of Sports was doing his job well, the various sports stadiums would not be in a deplorable state.”
The clash of views between the GFA leadership and the Ministry underscores growing tension in the wake of recurring incidents of hooliganism in Ghanaian football. The league has witnessed several violent disruptions this season, prompting calls for firmer governance and infrastructural upgrades.
