President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that government provided support to clubs in the Ghana Premier League (GPL) ahead of the 2025/26 season, confirming long-held speculation about the source of the GHC1 million given to each of the 18 top-flight sides.

Speaking during Asante Kotoko and Bibiani GoldStars' visit to the Jubilee House on Saturday, September 21, ahead of their CAF inter-club matches, the President revealed that the intervention was part of government’s broader plan to strengthen sports financing.

“Aside from that, as a token, at the start of the Premier [League], we have managed to give every club something. It’s a start. I’m sure the fund will grow,” Mahama said.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) had earlier attributed the GHC1m support to its production partnership with Adesa Production.

GFA President Kurt Okraku, along with General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo and Communications Director Henry Asante Twum, consistently insisted the source of the funds is the partnership with Adesa Production.

However, Mahama’s comments appear to confirm the long-running media reports that state support was behind the gesture.

The President explained that government’s renewed prioritisation of sports is made possible by its fiscal discipline and commitment to reducing wasteful expenditure.

“Like Kurt said, we’ve agreed that with all the savings we are making in terms of expenditure, we’re cutting down expenditure, we’ve cut down the size of government, we’re avoiding waste of our national resources. It frees up more resources for us to invest in the things that are important, and sports is one of them,” he stated.

He stressed that investing in football is not only about improving performance but also about strengthening national unity.

“The good thing about sports, and especially football, is that it unites us… supporters of Kotoko are Dagatis, they are Dagombes, they are Ashantis, they are Fantis… and it is the football that brings us all together. So if we put money into sports and into football, we’re putting money into building a united country,” he said.

Mahama concluded by highlighting the importance of a strong domestic league for the development of the Black Stars, saying a competitive GPL would help nurture more talent for the national team.

"And that is not resources that have been wasted. But also, when you have a strong domestic league, it reflects in your international assignments, especially with the Black Stars, because you are the primary source for players into the Black Stars.

"So if we support the domestic league and it's competitive, it will breed more talents and the Black Stars will benefit from those talents and be able to also represent Ghana abroad."