Ghana football fans are wailing, club administrators are crying (because they pay players who don’t run 90 minutes week in and out). But if those of us outside think it is the PLB, the body empowered to administer league football in the country is at fault for decline and not the Ghana Football Association. The FA chose heads of the Premier League Board and takes the glory when success is achieved.
Those are your views. Personally, I prefer the facts.
But what are the facts? The only indisputable facts about Ghana Premier League is that, Welbeck Abra-Appiah honorably relinquished his position as Chairman of the Premier League Board at the end of last season, which was accepted by the man who kept him in charge of the office — Kwesi Nyantakyi and he handed over the keys of the PLB office to Ashford Tetteh, we are in 2016 and local football is coma, and we don’t even know when Clubs will take to the pitch to wine up each other for the league crown, the GFA can’t confirm promoted clubs to replace Great Olympics, Heart of Lions and B.A United.
The rest is conjecture.
Much of it, anyway, Is Welbeck Abra-Appiah led administration killed local football as I said when his exit was confirmed, the league will start on January 20 or early February 20, the motivation behind so many confrontations, even the ability of Tema Youth and GFA to pay CAS to attend to case before them is now being debated. As journalists, we write what we hear, we hope our information is sound, and our opinion matters.
And my opinion is worth considering, though, because it makes as much sense as any other explanation for such a sudden decline. What do I think? That there is no way Ghana Premier League should be where it is, and is now reflecting badly on the Premier League Board instead of the Ghana Football Association, and maybe the Sports Ministry?
I have followed with keen interest various arguments from all manner of people, reviewing Abra-Appiah’s stay at the helm of the PLB affairs, either eulogizing or flaking the body for a failure for leading local football to a decline.
Admittedly, Gone are the days when Accra Hearts of Oak verses Kumasi Asante Kotoko brought the nation to a standstill. Gone are the days when Ghana led the line for others to follow. Gone are the days when other countries came to Ghana to understudy what made our club football so spectacular. Where those times and seasons when the names of players in the local scene were on the lips of Ghanaians like ladies and their make-up.
Why have Ghanaian football-loving fans become less and less enchanted by what is supposed to be the biggest competition in the country. Fans don’t even try going to game nor envy friends who do. As former ultras, they could be forgiven for being nostalgic of the good old days.
Again, these are all theories. But so are debates, in essence. Have you for once asked three mind-boggling questions: ‘why the sudden decline of Ghana football?’
Which body is responsible for the decline?
And what efforts are being put together to bring back Ghana Premier league of yesteryear?
The Ghana Premier League was the home of soccer, but it has dropped faster than Cristiano Ronaldo waiting in the air to head a ball.
In the first four to five years, under Abra-Appiah led PLB, Ghana had four representatives in CAF inter-club football competitions.
So what happened before the number of Clubs representing Ghana in Africa came down from four to two?
It is an open secret that the FA face challenges they wish never existed and so is the PLB, and that of the Sports Ministry. The decline of the local football some say is synonymous to the decline of the economy and that has resulted in lack of funding or the decline of the cedi. If my memory serves me right, a dollar was 0.90 pesewas in 2007, and in less than a decade, a dollar is approximately 4 cedis. Isn’t that insane? Well, this piece is not talking about today’s economy, it is talking about what drives us together. It is talking about our passion. It is talking about our football.
From the head to the toe, every body find comfort under the ozone to avoid the ultraviolet rays. The beautiful excuse is ‘lack of funding’ which is the python killing Ghana football.
But why was yesteryear better than today, why did the government withdraw their assistance for Ghanaian clubs competing abroad in CAF inter-club football competitions?
And to the GFA, what happened to the account the Premier League Board opened in conjunction with the you with Bank of Africa when Abra-Appiah was the Managing Director to save funds generated from premier league matches.
And to the PLB, what efforts have been put together to redeem your image as the body administering club football and not the GFA?
I must confess the PLB under Welbeck Abra-Appiah in its first five years was not as bad as it in the last five years. It wasn’t rosy but it was better. We knew our league calendar, but in the last five years, it’s been disastrous.
Sports Ministry is partner to the decline. The ministry and the National Sports Authority has made little efforts to provide infrastructure nor maintain the grounds available for our football.
Clubs have equally done little to brand themselves to attract corporate sponsors to help reduce the financial burden.
However, the chunk of the blame for Ghana flagship competition being as remote as kids playing street football are Korle Gono should be served before the Ghana Football Association.
The PLB is a subcommittee of the Ghana Football Association and has no power to influence certain decisions. The Status of the FA stipulates categorically the dos and don’ts, the responsibilities and duties of the PLB and these rules has kept the body at arm’s length. An example is clear from the body inability to stamp their authority and resist closing a Bank account when the FA egotistically felt they were becoming powerful and heading towards autonomy. Monies generated from premier league matches were saved in that account and used to pay match officials, promote the league, pay match commissioners, match coordinators, and take care of other responsibilities in terms of which finances were needed were taken cared of through that account.
When the PLB close the account, all the above responsibilities which were properly taken care of seized. Is it not the responsibility of the PLB to pay the people they employ to help run the league smoothly? Why did the FA take away such responsibilities from them?
It is disappointing that Ghana is still grappling with very elementary problems such as a lack of adherence to a fixed football calendar, allegations of match fixing, poor officiating, failure of the FA’s judicial bodies to adjudicate disputes in time, among other issues which have all contributed in no small measure to the unattractiveness of the league to fans and the corporate sector. Can’t we blame poor officiating or allegations against referees for going to match venues with results in their pocket on the FA? Officiating was poor, but it was not as bad as we see it today.
Isn’t it sad that the Premier League Board are being crucified for not fixing a date for the new season. If the PLB were able to confirm their relegated clubs without any legal battles, is it not the responsibility of the Division One League Board to confirm their promote clubs too?
If the Division One League Board had done their home work well, these problems wouldn’t be in existence.
Isn’t it the responsibility of the adjudicating bodies to expedite cases before them to ensure smooth running of the league. When the PLB could sometimes intervene in decision-making by the Disciplinary Committee to expedite processes, they were told they are a subcommittee of the GFA just like any body and cannot control them. If the PLB is only a subcommittee who are not permitted certain responsibilities, must we blame them for the delay of the league.?
In’t it sad to know that the PLB are sidelined and only dance to the tune of the Ghana Football Association. Why would the Ghana Football Association take away the responsibility of advising referees from the PLB? Who is administering the league? Is it the FA or the PLB?
Until the Premier League Board is decoupled from the Ghana Football Association, not even Moses can lead us to the promise land.
Until The PLB Is Decoupled From Ghana FA, Local Football Predicament Will Continue
