THE GLO PREMIER LEAGUE

Can We Truly Call It Professional?

In the wake of the dismal performance put out by the local Black Stars at the ongoing Championship of African Nations, (CHAN) tournament in Sudan, one vital question stands to be answered; can we truly call the current league professional?

The likes of former Ghana Football Association (GFA) boss, Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe has laid it down to the low standard of the current GLO Premier League and has gotten as much support as has the opposition.

Problems of affecting the GFA and allied agencies in the running of local club football, the likes of the Premier League Board, (PLB) the Ghana League Clubs Association, (GHALCA) is anchored mainly on player remuneration, which is said to be as low as ¢ 30.

Whiles former Black Stars player, Sam Johnson, joins the former GFA boss to slam the nauseating level of the league, leading the former Ghana International to ask rhetorically thus; “what is professional about the league we are playing?”

CK Akornor, former coach of Gamba All Blacks, giving his take on the issue, draws a link between player salary and exodus to play abroad, saying the low salaries made player so desperate they would move to play abroad for anything more than they are paid.

He proposes that a critical analysis be done on the organization of the local league with all stakeholders coming on board to put the game up as the full fledged industry that is being run elsewhere in parts of Africa and in Europe.

Emmanuel Kufuor, one of the most celebrated local players, having played for over a decade on the local front with Ashgold, Hearts of Oak, Kotoko and currently with Dwarfs, recounts how by far Ashgold were the best local club he had played for.

He cited reasons such as guaranteed and very good pay structure for players at the Obuasi based outfit as well as a good player welfare system that ensured that players were catered for beyond the pitch.

He however concedes that there was more that could be done in the general scheme of events to improve the conditions of players who he said were earning sadly so between ¢ 50 - ¢ 200 per month.

Frank Boateng, who is a currently plays of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, corroborates the low standard of living that players have to go through, stating that a player could hardly gather enough funds to even buy a vehicle as things stand currently.

He admits to what I call “a harsh reality,” when he admits on being asked that it was the dream of the majority of players (himself inclusive) that they ply their trade outside of the country, i.e. he was ready as many others are to join the exodus band wagon.

He brings to light the issue of losing rising stars in the local league after barely a season to some lower European league which might not even measure up to our league. These players have on several occasions not only left the league but they have given football fans enough reason not to visit the stadium because; “there was nobody to watch.”

Frank Nelson, an administrator with Accra Hearts of Oak, asks that the issue about whether the league was professional or otherwise, be put within the context of prevailing socio-economic indices, which were generally not good.

His take is that, local football to reach the height where it could be termed professional must climb up gradually but asked that the seeming comparison between the local and foreign league be stopped as the variables were clearly not anywhere near.

But in all of this, the muti million dollar question that lingers on is; from where do we start our walk to professionalism if indeed the league isn’t and if it is by whatever indicators used in measuring it, how do we improve on the current professionalism?

Food for thought if you as me, but more so, the need for a dialogue on the part of all interested parties to see to it that reforms either in the march to professionalism or for deepening professionalism must start in earnest, Ghana Football, the eventual winner.

By Shaban Barani Alphaalfarsenal@yahoo.com, newcguide@gmail.com