The Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, Tanko Bagbara, has provided further clarification on why a proposed $5,000 allocation for fueling the Black Stars’ team bus was scrapped from the budget for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Mali.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, the sector minister announced that the line item had been taken out of the original budget presented by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
Explaining the decision in an interview with Connect 97.1FM, Mr. Bagbara said the ministry and the GFA had managed the issue efficiently by reassigning it under incidentals, but not at the same cost initially requested.
“It was a budget line. The minister and FA managed to handle it well. It was added to the incidentals so it will be catered for but certainly not the tune of what they (the GFA) were requesting. In all of this, the ministry is embarking on a cost-cutting journey. The nation has other competing needs. That budget line was related to the Ghana vs Mali game,” he explained.
The Black Stars’ initial budget for the two qualifiers was pegged at $1.24 million but has since been reviewed downward to $860,000 as part of government’s efforts to reduce expenditure.
The ministry insists the revisions will not affect the team’s preparations or performance but will ensure judicious use of public funds at a time when national priorities extend beyond football.
