President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, has strongly denied allegations that he influences which clubs get relegated or crowned champions at the end of each football season.
There have been growing claims within sections of the football community that Okraku holds too much power, with some even suggesting he decides who goes down and who lifts the title. But the GFA boss insists those claims are baseless.
“I operate within the space as the president of the Football Association. For those outside the system, it may seem as though I am all-powerful, that I control everything in Ghana football. But that’s far from the truth,” he said in an interview with Michael Kofi Oduro on Metro Sports.
“My role is to lead in governance and to ensure that we run football based on laid-down statutes and structures. These give independence to various organs within the FA. It is not for me to decide who gets relegated or who wins titles. That is the job of the clubs, their players, coaches, and technical teams.”
He stressed that success or failure in the league ultimately depends on club performance, the quality of coaching, and how well teams prepare and compete.
“Clubs and their owners must build strong teams, hire capable coaches, and ensure that they are competitive on the pitch. If you are not competitive, unfortunately, you may suffer relegation. If you are competitive, you could end up winning titles.”
To support his point, Kurt Okraku referenced his own experiences, noting that even his personal investments in football have faced relegation.
“I’ve personally seen my own clubs go down. Dreams FC has struggled, and I’ve lost two or three investments to relegation. Dreams Tamale, Still Believe have suffered relegation. If I truly had that kind of power people speak of, wouldn’t I have saved my own investments?” he quizzed.
The FA President encouraged club administrators to scout well, hire good coaches, and build the right environment to compete, instead of buying into conspiracy theories.
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