DOHA: The Saudi Arabian Football Federation has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Ghana Football Association.
SAFF President Yasser Al-Misehal and GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku put pen to paper in a signing ceremony held at Saudi House in Doha.
The agreement aims to develop strong relations between the two federations to help the promotion, growth and success of football at all levels.
It provides a framework for collaboration across all areas of the game, from grassroots to elite football, including youth and women’s football. SAFF is committed to hosting both the Ghanian men’s and women’s national teams for matches and training camps as well as exchanges for key experts across areas related to coaching, refereeing or administrative matters.
“We’re excited to establish this MoU with the Ghana Football Association and create this partnership moving forward,” said Al-Misehal. “The quality and talent in Ghanaian football is known across the world and we at SAFF are keen to work closely together to allow our youngsters to gain valuable playing experience while benefiting from their key insights and strengths. We look forward to working together in a meaningful manner and open up mutually beneficial opportunities.”
Commenting on the new partnership, Simeon-Okraku said: “Ghana has a longstanding relationship with Saudi Arabia and it is only right that we expand this level of cooperation to football — an area that unites people.”
SAFF is investing across player pathways, competitions, women’s football, technology, workforce, hosting and governance.
Over the last three years, women’s football in Saudi Arabia experienced unprecedented investment in areas such as grassroots player development, competitions, coaching, refereeing and governance. As a result, SAFF expressed its interest in bidding for the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, established the country’s first women’s national team last year, followed by the inaugural women’s football league and girls’ schools league.
