The Ghana Football Association(GFA) President, Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku on Wednesday engaged the Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency H. E Roey Gilad at the Israeli Embassy in Accra.
The meeting was to strengthen ties on football development and collaboration between the two countries while tightening the long-standing relationship and throwing more light on the cultural and sporting network between the two nations.
They also discussed the need to explore opportunities for technical exchange programs and capacity building for Ghanaian coaches, medical personnel, and marketing officers, taking advantage of Israel’s modern sports and football technology.
Furthermore, the two high-profile personalities discussed critical areas of football like a coaching attachment program which would see Israel host Ghanaian coaches for training in modern IT inventions in football, “while Israeli experts would visit Ghana to share best practices”.
Among other topics for discussion was the idea to bring specialists to train local pitch managers, ensuring improved playing surfaces across the country – tackling the poor maintenance and management culture of our pitches.
Furthermore, the GFA is seeking support from Israeli companies operating in Ghana to invest in the development of football infrastructure and grassroots initiatives.
Lastly, the importance of promoting grassroots(youth) football was also on the agenda – pushing for Ghana’s U-15 national team to participate in a tournament in Israel to give young talents the platform to display on the international stage while gaining experience.
In a statement by GFA President Simeon Okraku at the visit, he showed appreciation and expressed signs of positive talks between the two nations.
“This engagement with the Israeli Ambassador and his team is a great step towards strengthening our football ecosystem.
“By leveraging Israel’s expertise in sports science and technology, we can create more opportunities for Ghanaian footballers, coaches, and administrators.” -Kurt Okraku.
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