Mr. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, owner and Chairman of English Premier League side Sunderland AFC, on Wednesday led a powerful delegation to call on the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin in Accra.
The visit of the Sunderland AFC team was in response to a recent visit by the Speaker of Parliament to the headquarters of the EPL club, which forms part of a strategic partnership for the annual Democracy Cup match initiated by the Speaker.
Mr. Louis-Dreyfus, in addressing a team of Ministers, Chief Executive Officers of some corporate institutions, said, the visit was in response to an earlier visit by the Speaker to the United Kingdom, as well the institution of a relationship between the club and Ghana.
He said Sunderland AFC has over the years had a long-standing relationship with Ghana, as the likes of Asamoah Gyan, Sulley Muntari and John Mensah have once played for the EPL side and made significant impact with the team.
“We have over the years have different connections with Ghana and it’s time to institutionalized the relationship for the mutual benefits of both sides.
“We have had some great Ghanaian players playing for our club in the past and they indeed contributed their quota to the team. We appreciate their contributions and we see this relationship as a step towards a better future,” Mr. Louis-Dreyfus stated.
Mr. Scott Mc Cubbin – Commercial Manager of Sunderland AFC highlighted the need to formalized and take advantage of the relationship between his outfit and Ghana.
He said Ghana stands to benefit immensely from relationship with Sunderland, especially in the area of youth development and women football.
Mr.Bagbin commended the delegation for following up on his visit, which was an indication that, they were keen on institutionalizing the relationship.
He noted that, the visit goes beyond football as the delegation will take advantage of the trip to explore other areas of the Ghanaian economy and business opportunities.
“This visit goes beyond football. There are many business opportunities for us as a country to explore. That is why we carefully selected participants for this important meeting.
“I hope the ministers, and members of the business community will take advantage of the meeting and explore business opportunities available to them,” Bagbin noted.
Bagbin said, EPL team will also explore avenues to support and promote the annual Democracy Cup.
“Football is the most populous sport in the country and the relationship will help strengthen its growth in Ghana. We are looking forward to having deeper relationship with Sunderland to help us in the areas of youth development and women football,” he added.
The Speaker presented a special fugu to each member of the delegation.