Sports News of Thursday, 7 May 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Consult widely, consider timing before making Premier League autonomous – Baah Nuakoh to GFA

Dr. Kwame Baah Nuakoh is a former management committee member of Asante Kotoko Dr. Kwame Baah Nuakoh is a former management committee member of Asante Kotoko

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) on Wednesday announced that it has begun steps to finally make the Premier League independent of the association.

For years the autonomy of the league has been a subject of interest with proponents arguing that the independence of the league is key in unlocking its hidden potential as the best on the continent.

The FA in announcing the decision said a five-member committee will soon be formed to oversee the process.

"The Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has taken a decision to make the Ghana Premier League autonomous," the GFA announced on its official website on Wednesday.

In light of this decision, the Executive Council, at its meeting on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, has decided to form a 5-member Committee to advise the GFA on how to proceed with the implementation of the Policy. The Premier League Autonomy Committee will be made up of 3 persons nominated by the 18-Premier League Clubs with the other two to be added by GFA”.

Dr. Kwame Baah Nuakoh is a former management committee member of Asante Kotoko and has advised the FA to consult extensively before concluding on the decisions.

According to him, the FA President shouldn’t focus on honouring a campaign promise but also examine the pros and cons of the association losing its flagship competition before deciding on it.

“It was one of the promises of the FA President and I believe he is making true his promises. As to whether it will be a good thing or not depends on all of us. We have to make sure that an independent league works”.

He also urged the FA to consider and adopt the recommendations of the committee which was formed during the era of normalization to craft a plan for the Ghana Premier League.

“I was the chairman of the FA’s committee on the domestic leagues so I have a fair idea of this. One of the recommendations was the independence of the Premier League but I don’t know if they are taking everything from our work. I believe with time they’ll consult appropriately”. Meanwhile, the FA have extended the suspension of the league to June.