In a stunning revelation that has laid bare the financial rot at the heart of Ghanaian football, Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku has confirmed that Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has not received a single cedi in salary for 13 consecutive months .

The disclosure, made during a tense appearance before Parliament's Select Committee on Youth and Sports on Wednesday, paints a damning picture of an association struggling to meet its most basic obligations. What makes the situation even more staggering is that Björkegren, a Swedish tactician, has simultaneously been serving as the interim head coach of the Black Stars—the flagship men's national team—during this entire period of unpaid service .

"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 told the committee, his frustration evident . "The coach of our Olympic team has not been paid for 12 months. And the list can go on and on."

The revelation is not an isolated incident but rather a symptom of a broader systemic crisis. Okraku used the platform to advocate for dedicated revenue streams for the proposed Sports Fund, arguing that football is "heavily capital intensive" and that the GFA is currently drowning under the weight of responsibilities spanning from the U-15 level to the senior teams, as well as futsal and beach soccer .

The irony of the situation is difficult to ignore. Björkegren, who was appointed in 2025, guided the Black Queens to a bronze medal at the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations and earned a nomination for CAF Women's Coach of the Year . Yet, while his reputation grows on the pitch, his bank account has remained frozen off it.

Beyond the unpaid salaries, Okraku also dropped another bombshell: Ghana's 20 national teams, including the Black Stars and Black Queens, have been sharing a single team bus purchased in 2008—a vehicle that has now broken down entirely . With the bus grounded, the GFA was forced to rent transportation during the recent international window.

As Björkegren prepares to lead the Black Stars into their crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Somalia, the question remains: how long can Ghanaian football expect its coaches to serve with pride while their pockets remain empty?

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