Kim Lars Björkegren
Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku has revealed that Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has gone 13 months without pay, raising fresh concerns about the financial strain on the country’s national teams.
Okraku made the disclosure on Wednesday, November 4, when he appeared before Parliament’s Select Committee on Youth and Sports. He used the occasion to call for dedicated revenue streams to support the proposed Sports Fund.
Björkegren, who has also been named interim head coach of the Black Stars, has not been paid for more than a year.
“The coach of the Black Queens, today is the acting coach of the Black Stars, has not been paid for 13 months. Thirteen months,” Okraku said. He added that the coach of the Olympic team has gone 12 months without pay, noting that “the list can go on and on.”
The GFA president explained that the burden extends well beyond the senior sides. The association must fund technical teams across the U-15, U-17, U-20 and U-23 categories, as well as the senior men’s and women’s teams, beach soccer and futsal.
Okraku said the Sports Fund was a welcome step but would not be enough on its own. “Football is heavily capital intensive,” he said, arguing that more dedicated revenue sources are needed.
Björkegren was appointed Black Queens coach in 2025, succeeding Nora Häuptle. The Swedish tactician will lead the Black Stars in their double-header against Somalia in the third and fourth rounds of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
He will be assisted by Godwin Attram, Ibrahim Tanko and former Black Stars goalkeeper Fatawu Dauda
BY Wletsu Ransford