Mahama Ayariga
Youth And Sports Minister Mahama Ayariga has been fingered for the poor attendance at the Ghana-uganda nations Cup qualifier in Kumasi last Saturday, which ended 1-1.
Ahead of the game, it was announced that gates would be opened for free, a decision alleged to have been taken unilaterally by the sports chief.
DAILY GUIDE SPORTS gathered that Mahama Ayariga failed to consult with stakeholders like the National Sports Authority (NSA), Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the National Security among others, ahead of the game, as had been the usual practice.
Chief of Staff, Prosper Barnie, however ordered later that the Sports Ministry reverse the decision, and that fees be charged at the gates.
The announcement of free gates had spread like wildfire, and the change in decision regarding the fee at the gates left the already angry fans fuming with rage, affecting patronage.
Uncharacteristic of Kumasi fans, the Baba Yara Stadium was half empty, a clear indication of the fact that the change in decision to charge
fees at the gates after the fans had programmed themselves for a free ‘treat’ accounted for the low patronage.
Consequently, the Black Stars put up an uninspiring performance before a sparse but hostile crowd; and students of the game linked the
team’s not-too-impressive performance to the low patronage.
DAILY GUIDE SPORTS probed into what accounted for the low patronage after the game and a fan, Kwame Gyamfi, said, “I decided to boycott the game because I realized our big men didn’t know what they were about. We heard it was free gates, and later we heard they were charging fees at the gates, and that made me boycott the game.”
Another fan Rebecca Mensah said, “For me, the team has caused Ghanaians so much emotional trauma during the Brazil World Cup. I prepared for the game, but I spent the money on something else when I heard there would be no charge at the gates. Later, it was announced that they will charge fees at the gates so I decided not to go.”
From Kofi Owusu Aduonum, Kumasi
SGhana.
