President of the Ghana Football Association Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku says it’s a privilege to be given the opportunity to serve football in the West African sub-region.
His comments come on the heels of a visit to Youth and Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif (Hon.) on Monday to officially inform him about his re-election as President of the West African Football Union (WAFU Zone B).
President Simeon-Okraku was on Saturday, October 15, 2022, re-elected by Members of the seven Federations within the sub-region to serve for another four-year term after completing the remaining twelve months of former President Hima Djibrilla from May 2021 to October 2022.
‘’I am very humbled as always to be given the opportunity to serve football in the sub region. In May of last year, President Hima Djibrilla stepped down and allowed me to serve the last 12 months of his tenure’’ he said.
‘’The 12 months that I had to serve was very challenging, it was a period I had to study and to know everybody in the sub region but at the same time to uplift the image of the zone as far as CAF and football related activities were concerned’’.
‘’I am sure that the happenings over the weekend clearly tells all of us how much appreciative my colleagues in the sub region have been to the hard work and effort we put in’’.
‘’All the successes that we have chalked was as a result of the fact that I relied on everybody and brought everyone on board and we discussed and worked towards the promotion of the zone’’.
‘’I have always maintained that, when we speak about African Football, we speak West African football and clear evidence is how many West African super talents are playing in the European Leagues, this is how the WAFU Zone is important to African football. Whenever you have the opportunity to serve, you should see this as a blessing and a big opportunity to continue the story of our predecessors’’.
‘’In the time past, Ghana was blessed to have President Kwesi Nyantakyi also heading this zone and he made a big impact in the zone and kept Ghana alive in the zone’’.
‘’Beyond his exit, it was always important for us as a country to also try to help one of our own to climb the ladder. The support that was needed was offered to me by my honourable Minister and the Government, for which reason I was able to do a good job and over the weekend, offered the opportunity to serve again’’.
‘’I am very humbled because if countries like Nigeria, Ivory Coast and the rest have absolute trust in me and my leadership and it is an opportunity I will not take for granted’’.
‘’I intend to work with all the seven Member Associations to make the sub zone the strongest one could think about and also put Ghana on the map. Ghana is a super power in African Football and it is important we are well represented physically at every level of governance in the African game starting from the WAFU’’.
‘’ I will give my best, and I have always received good support from the sector minister and the Ministry. I will continue to count on you because it is important, we put our acts together to put Ghana back to where we belong to the very top ranking in African Football whether by way of governance or football activity on the pitch’’.
‘’When we are together, we will achieve beyond our imaginations so I thank you for all your support and I will continue to count on you’’ he added.
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