The Ghana Amateur and Juvenile Soccer Club Owners Association (GHAJSCOA) has criticised groups and individuals who are calling on President John Mahama to sack Sports Minister Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye.

GHAJSCOA General Secretary Kwamena Bamfo Sakyi, who addressed a press conference at Adabraka Sahara Park on Saturday September 3, explained that Mr Vanderpuye was the “boldest Sports Minister in Ghanaian history who has taken steps to reduce the winning bonuses of the players of the senior national team to the barest minimum to conform to international standards…for the first time in 20 years to save cost”.

For him, this proved that Mr Vanderpuye had Ghanaian sports at heart and was the only minister to lead a revolution to channel funds to the development of other sports.

The association lauded the Sports Minister for again slashing bonuses of the Black Stars management committee members “who sit in the luxurious VIP lounge to enjoy football games and also take same bonuses as our footballers after 90 minutes”.

It viewed it as a good policy because such funds could be used to develop talents at the juvenile level to feed the various national teams and clubs in the Premier League as programmes for developing players with potential do not exist.

The association added: “It is only a good minister such as Nii Lantey Vanderpuye who will call for the use of our local-based players to face the Rwandese in a match for a tournament that Ghana has already qualified.”

For them, such a move “will not only save the nation from spending hard-earned foreign currency in inviting the foreign-based players, but also give opportunities for our local-based players to have a feel of international matches”.

Mr Sakyi disclosed: “GHAJSCOA is solidly behind the Sports Minister and grateful for his promise to revive Ghana colts soccer which has collapsed under the watch of Mr Nyantakyi, the current president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

On his part, GHAJSCOA President Nii Ayaafio Tetteh l expressed his confidence in Mr Vanderpuye to turn around the fortunes of not only the Black Stars but Ghana sports in general.

Nii Ayaafio Tetteh l, who was a management committee member of the Black Princesses, indicated that he resigned from the GFA on his return to Ghana after leading a delegation to Egypt and Tunisia during which there was a reckless dissipation of the association’s funds.

Source: classfmonline.com