According to the Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams, Ghana’s government does not have the power to dissolve the country’s football governing body despite growing calls for change.
Pressure on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has intensified after the Black Stars suffered a disastrous start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
Ghana have lost both of their opening Group C matches, falling 2-0 to Ivory Coast before surrendering a two-goal lead in a 4-2 defeat by The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The results have fuelled criticism of the GFA and renewed calls from sections of the public and political class for major changes to the administration of football in the country.
But Mr Adams said the government could not simply dissolve the association because it is a legally registered body.
“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 minister told Joy FM.
“It is an association, and I don’t think government has the power.”
Mr Adams said the government nevertheless had a legitimate interest in the running of football because Ghana’s national teams 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.
He also referred to Fifa’s statutes and its Standard Corporate Agreement, which he said provided a framework for the relationship between governments and football associations.
“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,” he said.
The minister said the government’s focus was therefore on ensuring that existing accountability and oversight mechanisms within football administration were allowed to work.
“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.
Mr Adams said state intervention could become necessary if officials were found to have committed criminal offences.
“If, however, they use their office to commit any crime and it is proven, then the necessary rules will apply,” he said.
His comments come ahead of a meeting between the government and GFA leadership on Friday, 2 October, where officials are expected to discuss the Black Stars’ poor start to the AFCON qualifiers and the wider concerns surrounding Ghanaian football.
The Black Stars are attempting to qualify for the continental tournament after missing the 2025 edition in Morocco, ending a run of more than two decades of consecutive appearances.
Ghana’s next qualifying matches will come in October, when they face Somalia in a two-match fixture, with both games scheduled to be played at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The government has said it wants answers over the team’s recent performances, but Mr Adams’ comments make clear that any major intervention will have to operate within the legal and regulatory framework governing the GFA.
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