President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Okraku, has appealed to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Youth and Sports to assist in reviewing the ban on sports sponsorship by alcoholic beverage companies in the country.
He said the restriction imposed by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) had cost the Association several sponsorship opportunities.
Mr Okraku emphasised that the GFA had lost a $5 million sponsorship deal with Guinness Ghana because of the ban and urged Parliament to consider the policy’s impact on funding for sports development.
The appeal was made during the FA’s official visit to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Youth and Sports, chaired by Ernest Norgbey.
The meeting focused on discussions about efforts to restore public confidence in the Black Stars and the state of Ghanaian football in general.
The GFA President, however, noted that other football leagues on the international front continued to receive sponsorship from alcoholic beverage companies.
Mr Okraku also told the Committee that poor playing surfaces, inadequate stadium facilities and weaknesses in technical support staff were hampering the national teams’ chances of winning trophies at major international tournaments.
He further appealed to the government to scrap import duties on uniforms for the Black Stars to reduce the cost of preparing the team for international competitions.
The Chairman of the Committee, Ernest Norgbey, assured the GFA delegation of the Committee’s support in efforts to strengthen sports in the country.
