Executive Council Member of the Ghana Football Association, Frederick Acheampong, has revealed that the GFA did not renew its broadcast rights deal with StarTimes due to the company’s outstanding debt of nearly one million dollars.
The contract with StarTimes ended at the conclusion of the previous season, and no agreement was reached to renew it.
Instead, the broadcasting rights have been awarded to several free-to-air TV stations. Acheampong told Kessben TV that the GFA had to secure funds from other sources to settle the clubs before the start of the new season.
“StarTimes owes Ghana Football Association close to 1 million dollars. The GFA had to find money from different avenues to settle the clubs with the ‘StarTimes money that the clubs were supposed to receive. This is the reason why we could not continue with StarTimes,” Acheampong explained.
The poor broadcast quality of match day one has been widely criticized, and it appears that the GFA’s decision to part ways with StarTimes was a necessary one to avoid financial instability. The association’s decision to award broadcasting rights to free-to-air TV stations may not have been as lucrative as the deal with StarTimes, but it has allowed them to maintain financial control and ensure that the clubs receive their rightful payments.
The GFA’s decision has sent a strong message that they will not tolerate financial mismanagement and will take swift action to protect their interests.
The fate of Ghana’s football broadcasts remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the GFA will prioritize financial stability and transparency over lucrative deals.
