Ghana Football Association President Kurt Okraku has addressed concerns regarding the absence of monthly salaries for coaches of Ghana’s youth national teams.
Okraku pointed to historical successes achieved by coaches who were not on regular pay, suggesting that a similar approach can lead to success today.
During his testimony before the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports, convened to investigate a petition from the leaders of the Save Ghana Football Demonstration, Okraku highlighted the achievements of past coaches.
“The years that you described, the golden years, the youth coaches were not paid salaries. The Sam Adeys, Jones Attuquayefio of blessed memory, and Sellas Tetteh all won trophies for us, but they were not paid salaries.
“They were not on contracts. They were paid; they had their games and tournament-related bonuses. But they won trophies. They did win.”
The longstanding issue of unpaid salaries for youth national team coaches has been a topic of debate.
Former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah, who also spoke before the committee last week, expressed concerns that this lack of compensation makes youth coaches vulnerable to outside influences, particularly from agents seeking player call-ups.