Sports Minister Kofi Adams and GFA President Kurt OkrakuSports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams says the government does not have the power to dissolve the Ghana Football Association (GFA), despite growing calls for the country’s football governing body to be disbanded.Pressure on the GFA has intensified following the Black Stars’ poor start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign and wider concerns about the state of Ghanaian football.Ghana are without a point after two Group C matches, having suffered a 2-0 defeat by Ivory Coast before throwing away a two-goal lead in a 4-2 loss to The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium.The results have increased scrutiny on the GFA and its leadership, with calls from sections of the public and political class for significant changes to the administration of football in the country.However, Mr Adams says the government cannot simply dissolve the association because it is a legally registered entity.”You know what the Ghana Football Association is, and you know that when a private company is registered to exist in perpetuity, you cannot go and dissolve it if it has not committed any crime against the administrative right,” the Buem MP told Joy FM.”It is an association, and I don’t think government has the power.”The minister said the government still has a legitimate interest in Ghanaian football because the national teams overseen by the GFA represent the country and receive state support.”Government has the power to do certain things because the national teams that the GFA supervises belong to the government,” he said.”FIFA, in its statutes, has the Standard Corporate Agreement, so it creates space for the government, which spends money, to have a certain relationship with the GFA.”Mr Adams said the government was instead focused on ensuring that existing mechanisms for public accountability and oversight of football administration were allowed to function.”We want to ensure that the public interest committee works, but government cannot dissolve the GFA because it is a registered entity that pays taxes to the appropriate authorities,” he added.He said government intervention could become necessary if there was evidence of criminal conduct by officials of the association.”If, however, they use their office to commit any crime and it is proven, then the necessary rules will apply,” Mr Adams said.The minister’s comments come ahead of a crisis meeting with the GFA leadership on Friday, 2 October, as the government seeks answers following the Black Stars’ disappointing start to the AFCON qualifying campaign.Ghana are attempting to return to the continental tournament after missing the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, ending a run of more than two decades of consecutive appearances.The Black Stars will return to qualifying action in October when they face Somalia in a double-header, with both matches scheduled to be played at the Accra Sports Stadium.
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