The Ghana Football Association has in the last month, June 2021 successfully complete both its FIFA Central Review (FIFA Audit of Member of Associations) and the Annual Statutory Audit as required by the Companies Act of Ghana and the Statutes of the Association.
Since the coming into office of the new administration on October 26, 2019, the GFA has completed two successful FIFA Central Reviews covering the periods January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 and January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 (Note that FIFA’s financial year is January 1 to December 31 whereas GFA’s Financial Year is July 1 one year to June 30 of the following year).
The FIFA Audit covering the periods January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 was held during the early days of the COVID-19 in April 2020 and was successful. While the current FIFA Audit covering the period January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 was held from Tuesday, May 4, 2021 when the GFA announced the arrival of the FIFA Audit Team in Ghana.
The successful FIFA Audit are key to the developmental agenda of the Association since the consequent of an unsuccessful FIFA Audit attracts the wrath of FIFA and sanctions including but not limited to FIFA withholding projects funds, programmes and FIFA Forward allocations.
On the Statutory Audits demanded by Ghanaian law, FIFA and the GFA Statutes, the administration was handed over the Audit Report for the period July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 (performed by the Ghana Audit Service) which was approved by the Congress held on December 19, 2019.
The latest Statutory Audit for the period July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 was undertaken by Bakertilly Andah + Andah, a private leading international audit firm appointed by the GFA Congress in September 2020.
The completion of the Statutory Audit by Bakertilly Andah + Andah is in fulfilment of 67 of the GFA Statutes headed Independent and External Auditors and states in part that:
“The independent and external auditors appointed by the Congress shall audit on a yearly basis the management accounts of the GFA in accordance with the appropriate principles of accounting and present a report to Congress. ……”.
The Association will be preparing to hold its Congress after the completion of the elite competition which will end in August 2021 due the COVID-19 and its affects which pushed the start of the season to December 2020. The Audit Report will be presented to members at the Congress of the GFA.
The Association will be working to get its competition calendar back to the norm of August to May to ensure that clubs which participate in CAF competition meet the deadlines of the Club Licensing regime of CAF in coming seasons without any complications.
The Executive Council in the exercise of its powers under the GFA Statutes will soon come out the dates for Congress.
Meanwhile, the next GFA Statutory Audit will cover the period July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 as required by the GFA Statutes.
GFA COMMUNICATIONS