GFA lost $5m-a-year Ghana Premier League sponsorship deal to FDA restrictions – Kurt Okraku

Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku says the association lost a potential sponsorship deal worth more than $5 million annually after the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) blocked a proposed partnership with Guinness Ghana Limited.

Okraku disclosed that Guinness Ghana had approached the GFA with plans to make a significant investment in the Ghana Premier League, but the deal collapsed due to regulatory restrictions on alcohol companies sponsoring sporting activities.

Speaking before Parliament's Select Committee on Youth and Sports on Wednesday, November 4, Okraku said the association held several meetings with the beverage company in an attempt to secure the agreement before the FDA declined to approve it.

“We were approached by Guinness Ghana Limited wanting to invest heavily in the Ghana Premier League. We did whatever we had to do. We had a series of meetings. At the end, FDA said no. The deal was, if I'm not mistaken, over $5 million a year. We lost it,” he said.

The GFA president believes the restrictions are limiting the ability of sports organisations to attract major private-sector investment, particularly at a time when Ghanaian football needs stronger financial backing.

He therefore appealed to Parliament to lead efforts to remove the provision that gives the FDA the authority to approve or reject sponsorship agreements involving alcoholic beverage companies.

“That provision that allows FDA to say yes or no to sponsorship still exists within our books. If there's one thing that you can do to help sports and football, that would be for you to lead the charge to completely take out that provision,” he added.

Okraku argues that removing the restriction would open up opportunities for the Ghana Premier League and other sporting competitions to attract more corporate sponsorship.

The proposed deal with Guinness Ghana would have provided a significant financial boost to the domestic top flight, which continues to grapple with challenges in attracting major commercial partners and securing sustainable funding for clubs.