Soccer News of Thursday, 1 December 2005

Source: LISTOWELL YESU BUKARSON

Government To Support Clubs

The government has eventually agreed to support the four Ghanaian clubs that have qualified to participate in this year's MTN Champions and Confederations cups in Africa. This is a result of persistent search for the needed assistance by the four teams - insisiting they will not be able to play in Africa without government support due to lack of financial support.

The four clubs which include, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi King Faisal and Brekum Arsenal, held a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Education and Sports on Tuesday and yesterday over the issue.

The meeting decided to put together a three-member committee to plan and consider pragmatic modalities of getting the needed financial support for the club. The committee is made up of Chief Executive Officer of King Faisal, Mr. George Amoako, the Accra representatives of Kotoko, Mr. Kwame Amoa-Bosompem and then Board Secretary of Hearts of Oak Mr. Ernest Thompson.

In an exclusive interview with AUTHENTIC KAPITAL SPORTS on Kapital Radio in Kumasi this morning Mr. George Amoako explained that the monies t be made available to the Clubs are not going to be for free but that the government will guarantee the amount on behalf of the clubs. This according to him means that the teams will have to make the accounts very transparent to the government in future. He said the position of government is very appreciable and commendable since it makes an immediate turn-around f positive events in the history of modern day football in Ghana.

To this end, Mr. Amoako reiterated that King Faisal has changed its earlier position of not going to Africa."

King Faisal will be playing in Africa next year and I am sure all the other teams which have qualified will be in Africa? he said.

The committee will meet again next week to finalize the deal.

Meanwhile investigations have revealed that each club stands to receive an amount of 250,000 dollars.