The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) have emerged the new headline sponsor of the Black Stars. This was confirmed by Ghana President John Mahama when he met the Black Stars and high ranking members of the Ghana FA on Thursday. Discussions over a reported $3m deal over a five year period has been ongoing for months between the leadership of GNPC, the Ghana FA and the Sports Ministry. There were however fears the lucrative deal had fallen through following an agency’s claim of a percentage of the total sponsorship package for bringing GNPC to the negotiation table. This confusion appear to have been settled as President Mahama confirmed GNPC as the newest sponsor of the Black Stars. “I want to thank our newest kid on the block that is, our Ghana National Petroleum Council (GNPC) for coming onto the sponsorship block with a very significant package to last over a five-year period,” he said. “It will help greatly in lifting the quality of our game in Ghana and I’m sure that within that five-year period, we will all see the results.” President Mahama however added that the State remains the number one financier of the senior national team – a burden which keeps increasing by the day. “The government of Ghana will continue to be the main financier of the Black Stars,” he added “It is a burden we have to carry and we will carry it without any complaints.” GNPC and the Ghana FA are however yet to make this partnership official. The State petroleum firm will be replacing Goldfields as the headline sponsor of the Black Stars. The mining firm’s partnership with the Ghana FA in 2005 is largely credited for the surge in form of the Black Stars. The team prior to the coming of Goldfields had never qualified for a senior World Cup but did so on two consecutive occasions made the finals in Germany and South Africa in 2006 and 2010 respectively. They however decided not to extend the deal when it expired last year.