GFA’s Director IT Francis Adu opens up on double player registration concerns in Ghana Football

Ghana Football Association (GFA) Director of IT, Francis Adu, has raised concerns over the challenge of double registration of players within the country’s football system, revealing how identity manipulation and the absence of advanced biometric tools continue to test the integrity of the database.

Speaking on the GFA Podcast hosted by Patrick Akoto, the experienced IT administrator admitted that while Ghana’s digital registration system has improved significantly, it is still not immune to deliberate attempts to manipulate player identities.

Francis Adu explained that while the FIFA Connect-based system has streamlined player registration and improved transparency across clubs and federations, it is still vulnerable to identity duplication due to gaps in verification tools.

He pointed out that inconsistencies in official documentation in the country create opportunities for exploitation, making it possible for some individuals to register under different identities at different times.

“In IT, we say there is no perfect system, but we always try our best to get it to the level we want it to be,” he said. “We live in a country where people can do things. In Ghana, some official documents are so easy to obtain. For instance, someone can get a passport today with certain details and get another one tomorrow with different details.”

He further explained how such situations create challenges for the registration system when individuals attempt to re-enter the database with altered information.

“If such a player is registered in our system and later acquires another passport with different information and comes into our system again, it becomes very difficult to easily identify,” he noted. “Usually, what they do is that they know how to manipulate the picture they upload, making changes that make it difficult for us to detect.”

According to him, the situation is worsened by the absence of facial recognition technology, which would otherwise help flag duplicate identities automatically.

“For now, there is no facial recognition,” he added.

Despite these challenges, Adu maintained that the current system remains a major improvement over the past paper-based processes, where tracking player identities and movements was far more difficult and less reliable.

He stressed the need for continuous technological upgrades, including biometric verification systems, to further strengthen the integrity of Ghana’s football database and reduce cases of identity manipulation in the future.