Iddris Sherif-deen

Host of Sports Panenka on RadioWaa 92.1fm, a Sports writer for and an entrepreneur.

[Don @Opresii]

They’ll get home and give the little money they earned to Abigail who has been sleeping and scrolling TikTok all day

[Iddris Sherif-deen @Fresh_Famangos]

#NewProfilePic

[Football Tweet ⚽ @Footballtweet]

🥅 Errors leading to goals against Manchester United:

David De Gea : 17 (in 12 years)

André Onana : 10 (in 2 years)

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🔴🔵🏀 Kevin Durant, about to become a new minority stakeholder at Paris Saint-Germain!

Decision made as @Romain_Molina reported.

[Transfer News Live @DeadlineDayLive]

🚨 Atletico Madrid were in talks with PSG over the potential signing of Gonçalo Ramos before recruiting Julian Alvarez! 👀🗣️

(Source: @lequipe)

[Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa @S_OkudzetoAblak]

THE US$8.5MILLION BLACK STARS BUDGET— KEN OFORI-ATTA’S REVEALING BREAKDOWN WHICH DID NOT ADD UP AND THE CONTROLLER AND ACCOUNTANT GENERAL’S VERY STRANGE BANK TRANSFER ADVICE

As a sequel to yesterday’s exposé which revealed that government and the GFA had approved a mind-boggling US$8.5million as the Black Stars budget for the ongoing AFCON despite our unprecedented economic crisis; I am here to keep my promise of publishing further explosive intercepted documents on the matter.

In the supreme national interest and in the spirit of transparency and accountability, I shall today publish two additional documents: the first one is signed by Ghana’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, while the second document is signed by Ghana’s Controller and Accountant General, Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem — who anecdotally is in the news following his heavy defeat in the NPP parliamentary primaries over the weekend.

These two documents are significant in many respects:

1. They confirm that the Minister of Finance after receiving the January 2, 2024 request from the Ministry of Youth and Sports (as put out yesterday), promptly instructed the Controller and Accountant General to release the part payment of US$5,071,840.36 which is equivalent to the sum of GHS60,306,717.80 out of the budgeted US$8,506,450.00. This settles the debate on whether the Minister for Finance acted on the request from the Ministry of Youth and Sports;

2. Strangely, when the Finance Minister proceeded to provide a breakdown of the US$5,071,840.36 in his 12th January, 2024 instruction to the Controller and Accountant General, it mysteriously amounted to US$6,946,450.00 equivalent to GHS82,596,763.73. That is some GHS22million more than the instruction to release GHS60,305,717.80;

3. They say the devil is in the details — Ken Ofori-Atta’s letter further reveals some really shocking breakdowns: the Black Stars preparation few days to the AFCON cost taxpayers a whopping GHS15.3million; Air transport and per diem is GHS14million; provision was made for Group stage bonuses amounting to another GHS14million;

4. Curiously, in addition to the transport and per-diem of GHS14million, there is another provision for honorarium pegged at GHS2.1million;

5. Even more bizarre, despite Ken Ofori Atta’s instruction to the Controller and Accountant General contained at paragraph 3 of his January 12, 2024 letter to transfer the GHS60.3million to the Ministry of Youth and Sports in tranches, incredibly the Controller and Accountant General transferred the full amount into the ministry’s account as confirmed by the Bank Transfer Advice from the Controller and Accountant General as attached. The Ministry of Youth and Sports must assure Ghanaians that despite the Controller’s full release, the funds are intact in their accounts;

6. The breakdown provided by the Minister of Finance offers citizens a rare insight into how much would have been spent at every stage of Black Stars progression from GHS5million at the 1/16 stage to GHS14million if we got to the finals. It is nauseating that patriotism is no longer a factor in these considerations. Perhaps those who say our early calamitous exit was a blessing in disguise have found their justification;

7. It has also emerged that there was a separate budget for the supporters of the Black Stars sent by the State. Deep throat sources inform me that budget was managed by National Security. Nothing will stop us from demanding full accountability on this too.

It is clear to me that the only way out of this grand mess is to immediately curtail any further expenditure on the Black Stars including that ill-advised, rushed and misguided search for a new coach, and to urgently commission an independent forensic audit.

Parliament must also assert its constitutional oversight authority when the House resumes. These outlandish breakdowns, illegalities and insulting opacity must be probed and sanctioned — we cannot afford to let the people down.

[Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa @S_OkudzetoAblak]

THE SECRET IS OUT; THE WAIT IS OVER — GOVT & GFA AGREED ON A BLACK STARS AFCON BUDGET OF AN ASTONISHING US$8.5MILLION (GHS105MILLION)

I promised in my publication last week on the staggering GHS27.9million taxpayers spent on the Black Stars between 2022 and 2023, that I shall subsequently, in the supreme national interest, share further information on financials relating specifically to the AFCON tournament in Côte d’Ivoire — I intend to keep that promise today.

Government and GFA officials have done everything under the sun to conceal how much they budgeted for the preparation and participation of the Black Stars at the ongoing 2024 AFCON.

Despite strenuous efforts by Parliament and the ever dynamic and courageous Ghanaian sports journalists, the Youth and Sports Minister and his allies at the FA have blatantly refused to disclose this basic information — information the Ghanaian people have every right to know.

Under a transparent and accountable governance system, there should be no struggle, hassle, tussle and opacity over the Black Stars AFCON budget.

It is even more worrying that many days after Ghana’s internationally disgraceful and calamitous exit from the AFCON, and despite several press statements from the Sports Ministry and the FA, they have remained extremely tight-lipped on the Black Stars budget.

One wonders if Ghana’s AFCON Black Stars budget has become a nuclear code.

When an unaccountable government employs elaborate inimical schemes to hide information from the people, it is a patriotic duty to go every length to secure that information and bring it to the people’s attention — and SOA Oversight will not fail in that regard.

From latest unimpeachable, irrefutable and indisputable intercepted documents in my possession — I can boldly confirm that the Ghanaian government and the GFA put together and agreed on a shocking AFCON preparation and participation budget of US$8,506,450.00.

This hefty US$8.5million translates into a colossal GHS105million at current exchange.

Note that the GHS105million is entirely separate from the GHS27.9million spent on the qualifiers.

The figure US$8,506,450.00 is contained in an intercepted letter from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, dated 2nd January, 2024. It is addressed to the Minister of Finance requesting part payment of US$5,071,840.36 from the total Black Stars budget of US$8,506,450.00. The request letter in issue is signed by Chief Director of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. William Kartey on behalf of the Minister, Hon. Mustapha Ussif.

It would be interesting to know what thought processes went into a scary US$8.5million budget for a bankrupt country which has defaulted on its loans and is desperately seeking an IMF bailout.

It is worth noting that the prize money for the winner of the AFCON is US$7million. What this means is that even if the Black Stars had won the trophy, the public officials who put this budget together were determined to ensure that Ghana made losses in excess of US$1.5million.

I have been wondering how government and FA officials in a country like Zambia can approve a total budget of only US$2.1million for the same AFCON competition and be fine, but Ghana has to live large and ostentatious — a bankrupt country undergoing debt restructuring and unable to construct resettlement homes for victims of VRA’s catastrophic spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong dams.

A painful addition to the scandalous GHS105million budget is that it did not guarantee success on the pitch either.

It must be clearer now as to why the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government and FA officials have put up such a brave fight, albeit undemocratic, just to hide the Black Stars AFCON budget.

Parliament must and will surely probe this astonishing budget when we resume from the 6th of February, 2024.

SOA Oversight shall be back with more explosive intercepted documents at 3pm tomorrow.

For God and Country.

Ghana First 🇬🇭

[Iddris Sherif-deen @Fresh_Famangos]

@_owurakuampofo More wins, bro

[Transfer News Live @DeadlineDayLive]

🚨 Given the 10-point deduction handed to Everton, the threat of a 30-point deduction or automatic relegation from the Premier League would look to be very real for both Manchester City and Chelsea should charges be proved in an independent regulatory commission.

(Source: @TimesSport)

[Saddick Adams @SaddickAdams]

By March 2022, Ghana Football Association and the Ministry of Sports were already aware how much Ghana would make in prize money by just being at the World Cup.

We've been told FIFA has transferred $10.5million Dollars into the GFA Accounts some 8 months ago.

GFA and Ministry said they'd use the money to improve facilities.

Same things have been said in the past. For instance government and GFA agreed to use the 2010 World Cup money to build a 3 Star Hotel for our national teams.

I don't know how old that hotel is and where it is situated.

There is absolutely NOTHING sensible to show for after FOUR World Cup and nearly $50million received in Prize money.

Today, countries like Tanzania, Mauritania, South Sudan etc who have never gone remotely closer to the World Cup, knows how make judicious use of the little revenue from football.

I hope that, this time again, the World Cup money, like has been the regrettable custom in the past, doesn't end up in the pockets of some few individuals. I hope that it doesn't help individuals build mansions when our national team kids sleep in mosquito infested cubicles.

FIFA intends the money to be reinvested for the sustainability of the game.

The talking is too much. The waste is too much. The avaricious is too much.

"We can't continue like this. We can't"

[Football Tweet ⚽ @Footballtweet]

🎂 Happy birthday to İlkay Gündoğan, who turns 33 today:

🏆 5x Premier League
🏆 4x League Cup
🏆 2x FA Cup
🏆 1x Bundesliga
🏆 1x DFB-Pokal
🏆 1x DFL-Supercup
🏆 1x Champions League

One of the most underrated players ever.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

⚪️🇦🇺 Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou has now accumulated the most points by a Premier League manager in their first 9 games.

7 goals in 9 games for Son 🇰🇷
3 goals and 5 assists for Maddison 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

…Spurs sit on top of PL table with 23 points, still unbeaten.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨⚪️🔴 OFFICIAL: Maurice Steijn has been fired and he’s no longer Ajax head coach, club confirms.

Ajax are currently 17th in Eredivisie.

[Mohammed Awal Hudu @AwalMoHudu]

The official ball for Afcon Ivory Coast 2023 called POKOU.

[B/R Football @brfootball]

Messi in Miami and Ronaldo in Riyadh 👋

Their head-to-head battle for European dominance is over, and what a battle it was.

[THREAD]

[Transfer News Live @DeadlineDayLive]

🚨 Saudi Arabia plan to spend €20 BILLION in order to attract the biggest names to their league in the next two years. 🇸🇦💰

(Source: @elmundoes)

[Transfer News Live @DeadlineDayLive]

🚨 You're Leo Messi. You have three options:

1️⃣ Return to Barcelona 🇪🇸
2️⃣ Earn €1BILLION in Saudi 🇸🇦
3️⃣ Join Inter Miami 🇺🇸

What would you do? 🤔👇

[Jon Boafo @JonBoafo]

Napoli have been crowned Serie A champions for the first time since 1990. They won their third league title with 5 games to play scoring 69 and conceding 23 so far.

Here’s a thread about their long journey to another Scudetto title 🏆

[FIFA World Cup Stats @alimo_philip]

🐐 Lionel Messi has now equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s club goal tally in Europe’s top 5 leagues in 88 fewer games.

🇦🇷 Messi
🏟️ 831 games
⚽️ 696 goals

🇵🇹 Ronaldo
🏟️ 919 games
⚽️ 696 goals

#Messi𓃵|#CR7𓃵بث|#GOAT𓃵

[KNUST Live. @KNUST_Live]

VOLLEYBALL - End of Round 1;

AAMUSTED: 25pts
UHAS: 13pts

#KNUSTLive | #GUSAKNUST2022