The Deputy Director General of the National Sports Authority, Abdul Majid Bawa, has bemoaned the lack of local clubs support for the maintenance of the country’s football stadiums.

According to him, the National Sports Authority realizing the financial burden the maintenance of these facilities imposed on the Authority, decided to undertake a burden-sharing agenda to share cost of maintenance with the clubs.

However, this plan backfired after the clubs refused to pay their quota also citing lack of funds.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, he noted that the NSA has had to make do with the little proceeds it manages to earn from sports competitions as well as government fundings which are woefully inadequate.

This he says has significantly contributed to the poor state of Ghana’s sports facilities as being witnessed currently.

“Somewhere 2019, 2020 we said that ok when we are playing a league match for example at the Accra Sports Stadium we spend not less than GH₵15000. I am not underrating any club but assuming Legon City and Accra Lions for example are playing, the spectators don’t come. But we spend almost GH₵15000 to maintain the pitch for one game.

“When you ask the club to assist they don’t, they cry, they don’t have money. Okay so why don’t you pay for the services then we use whatever we are receiving from you to be able to keep the place for you? They said no.  They cry. They play for free,” he said.

He added that “Sometimes at the end of the match, we have only GH₵200. That will be our proceeds after you spend GH₵15000 to prepare the pitch for the game. Then at the end of the game all the deductions, because it is our responsibility to make sure that we invite security, we invite the paramedics and all the people that will make the place safer for the game.

“We have to give them TnT all these things are deducted. So after the deductions of all these things then a sharing ratio is there. Then what comes to NSA is sometimes GH₵50. I remember we played a game in Sunyani only GH₵50 that came to NSA. So that is the challenge.”

Majid Bawa was, however, optimistic that some engagements the NSA has initiated to get the private sector involved in funding the maintenance of these stadiums among others will pull through.

“Fortunately for us, the NSA board is in talking terms with some people that they think they can partner us so that we’ll be able to involve the private people to be able to carry on our mandate so that we have other facilities that can be put into other use. So that we can generate resources to keep the games going,” he said.