The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has taken steps to reduce protests and eliminate litigation, particularly over the status of players during the incoming season. Consequently, the football house in conjunction with the Premier League Board (PLB) has sent special forms to all premier league clubs to indicate the movement of players to and from their clubs before and during the season.

Mr Kwaku Ampim-Darko, Deputy General Secretary (Technical) of the GFA told the GNA Sports that the move is to bring sanity into the movement of players and prevent the tagging which had been associated with the status of players. He said after the forms have been filled and returned to the GFA they would be circulated to all premier league clubs for study and scrutiny and players whose registration would be queried would not be fielded by any club until the protests have been dealt with conclusively by a committee.

The deputy general secretary said the period to file protests by aggrieved clubs would be 10 days from the date of publication of the list of players and those who attract no queries or protests would be deemed qualified to play for their clubs. The GFA will not entertain any protests from clubs concerning such players.

He said the same rules would apply to players who would move from one club to another during the course of the league, adding that the Football Association would request the Disciplinary Committee to adjudicate on protests weekly so as to avoid the piling up of cases.

Mr Ampim-Darko said cautions to players would be communicated to their clubs every week to make them aware of the legibility or otherwise of their players for impending matches.

Commenting on the guidelines to the clubs and the initiative taken by the GFA, Mr Ernest Thompson, Board Secretary of Accra Hearts of Oak said the action is in the right direction but pointed out that the initiative might not stall protests since the statutes have not been changed in that direction. He suggested that the GFA should add a proviso to their rules as they stand now to illegalise court actions in order to protect the league from unnecessary litigation and to ensure a smooth and unhindered soccer calendar.