Veteran football administrator, Alhaji Karim Grusah
Owner and bankroller of King Faisal, Alhaji Karim Grusah has said that he sees nothing wrong with the $25m budget for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and 2022 World Cup campaigns and has therefore heaped praise on Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo.
The President on Monday approved a $25m for the Black Stars participation in the upcoming 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and 2022 World Cup qualifying campaigns after holding a successful meeting with CEO’s of Corporate Ghana at the Jubilee House.
He promised to provide $10m of the $25M while entreating the corporate institutions to aid in fulfilling the quantum.
The gesture from the President has received a lot of backlash from a session of Ghanaians.
But in an interview with Kumasi FM, the veteran football administrator has thrown his weight to the President.
“I give thanks to the President for this package,” he said.
“But as for the amount, it is not huge as Ghanaians are speculating.”
“Ghanaians should check the amount given to the South African coach before they say something else, we only have to appreciate what the President has done.” He entreated.
Alhaji Grusah further disclosed that the money could be a loan by the government just as the erstwhile John Agyekum Kuffour’s government did for the country’s football governing body.
“This is a loan from the government to GFA as President Kufuor did at His time, there’s no hardship even though we are battling Covid-19.”
Alhaji whose team is battling with relegation further argued that if Ghanaians feel the budget is outrageous then, “we should stop participating in the tournament.”
“We should stop participating if we think the $25m is more, will FIFA fine us if we refused to participate,” he quizzed.
“It is time we said the truth to ourselves,” he concluded.