Abra-Appiah - Football Development Require Infrastructure

Former Ghana Premier League Board Chairman, Welbeck Abra-Appiah says football can only see the daylight with infrastructure available.

Ghana Premier League has lost its power to compete against the elite clubs in the continent, and Abra-Appiah says the failure for Ghana local football to reach it’s peak is caused by lack of infrastructure.

“It hasn’t been easy (been the chairman of the PLB), honestly it hasn’t been easy. Some of these things are such that if you want your football to develop you need to have first and famous, infrastructure,” Abra-Appiah told TV3 Ghana.

The ex-Okwahu United financier wished there were facilities to help him strategies for the effective administration of club football, but empty promises by government caged his success.

He added that projects were put in place due to lack of funds.

“Years ago, before the 10 years that I have been at the chairman of the PLB, there were series of governments which came, where the then minister for Youth and Sports said that every year they were going to put an infrastructure like what we have at El Wak for each of the regions, but that idea never materialized.

“It never came up. It is a historical fact. It has not been easy because there are no funds to support a lot of the projects of which we wished to have brought on table.” He said.

However, Abra-Appiah believes despite the difficulties there were some achievements.

“Despite all these, there have been some few achievements over the 10 year period.

“We cannot separate the Premier League Board from the Ghana Football Association when it comes to some of these projects and achievements.

“Because I can tell you that without the support of the Kwesi Nyantakyi’s administration,nothing, I mean nothing would have been achieved in this country as far as football development is concerned.

“There were many instances. Okwahu United of which I was the financier went to play in Tamale in a crucial match, Kwame Bamfo ‘Sikkens’ and myself were molested and all the people we knew, the RTU directors closed their and watch us been molested.

“I sat on the floor to watch the game because they would not permit me to sit on the chair. These are some of the moments that tells us that Ghana football has come of age and now we’ve stepped into a new era where some of these molestations and other atrocities are no more there in our football.”

Abra-Appiah announced his decision to leave his position as chairman of the PLB prior to the end of last season’s Ghana Premier League.

Abra-Appiah - Football Development Require Infrastructure

Ghanaian Society Prevent Players From Reaching Their Potential - Kenichi

Accra Hearts of Oak head coach Kenichi Yatsuhashi has said that Ghana has lot of talents with potential to reach the peak of their career, but the society in which they find themselves has caged that.

Ghana is well known for producing great footballers, right from juvenile to senior football as the country has won two U-17 World titles, one U-20 World cup and a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics Games.

Notable among names who made football fans glue to their seats with dazzling display at the tender age includes: Nii Ordatey Lamptey, who World Pele told the world he is his successor, and Dominic Adiyiah who flashed with the speed of light but dropped like a sack of shea nuts.

However, other players broke the shield at early age of their career and played at the highest players like; Michael Essien, Stephen Appiah, and Sammy Osei Kuffour.

Of late, youngsters who have been touted as players with potential at yet to make the grade among the elites of the game.

And coach Kenichi Yatsuhashi who was a telents development coach before he took up his first major coaching role at Accra Hearts of Oak blames the society for players inability to reach their potential.

“Ghana has many talented players because of the environment,” Kenichi is quoted by Sokka.

“[However] the society is preventing them from developing top talents to be their best during the transition periods from U14 to senior professionals.” He noted.

The former Aspire Academy talents development coach is optimistic that all is not gloomy.

“USA and Japan, or many other countries have different strength and weakness. Having said that, Ghana is an outstanding football country with an outstanding potential.”

Ghanaian Society Prevent Players From Reaching Their Potential - Kenichi