The Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Henry Asante Twum, has said that the consistency of Ghanaian journalists at World Cups influenced the 12 accreditations given to the media for coverage of the tournament.
The GFA announced that 12 accreditations; 10 slots for written press and two for photographers were issued by FIFA to Ghana for coverage of the World Cup.
This decision was met with criticisms from some fans and members of the media, who felt the number was unfair to a country participating in the competition.
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In response, Asante Twum explained that the rate at which journalists from a particular country consistently cover the tournament determines the number of accreditations.
He noted that the inconsistency and minimal presence of Ghanaian journalists at past tournaments, especially when the Black Stars were absent, contributed to the allocation.
“So Ghana was given 12. The number of accreditations is determined by consistency and performance over a period of time. Per the analytics they shared, it was disclosed that most Ghanaian journalists often leave the tournaments when the national team is eliminated. Meanwhile, there are countries whose journalists stay throughout until the final, even when their teams don’t qualify.
“During the World Cup in Qatar, the analytics showed that there were only two Ghanaian journalists, one photographer and one online reporter. In 2018, we did not qualify, but there was only one officially accredited Ghanaian photographer in Russia. In 2014, by the quarter-final stage, there were only three Ghanaian journalists, which shows the lack of consistency,” he told Kessben FM in Twi.
He added that journalists who may not get accreditation through the GFA could also apply via other FIFA media rights categories.
“The explanation is that when it comes to World Cup accreditation, we have three types: broadcast rights holders, non-rights holders, and written press/photography combined. Broadcast and non-broadcast rights holders are determined by FIFA, but the photography and written press slots are given to member associations to distribute,” he explained.
Watch the interview below:
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