?PLB proposes to Executive Council

The 2004 Premier League could kick off on April 18 if proposals by the Professional League Board to that effect get the approval of the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association.

The April 18 date is contained in proposals to be presented to the Council, the FA and the clubs today by the PLB, and according to its chairman, Sylvester Twintoh Mensah, further delays could have rather undesirable consequences for the nation?s football.

The date was arrived at yesterday during a meeting of the PLB to revise once more its calendar for the troubled season yet to start. It is about the third time the Board has had to revise its programme for the year owing to the numerous protests, disciplinary and legal issues that are yet to die off entirely.

The Board?s original programme presented to the FA long ago should have seen the premier league kick off last Sunday March 14, with the registration of players opening as far back as Wednesday, January 1.

The plans have been stalled all this while by the numerous cases that have only recently threatened to destroy the nations football, and the major remaining hindrance to the league kick off is the FA?s Congress whose date has not yet been fixed.

However if the PLB?s proposal is accepted, Congress could be held before the first week of April

expires. What the PLB is praying for now, in submitting the new date for consideration, is that the Executive Council would issue a fiat permitting a date for the registration of players before Congress, to pave the way for completion of the exercise so the league can kick off as soon as Congress is held.

According the PLB chairman, the proposed date is being circulated now to afford all interest parties sufficient notice so it is not rejected.

The PLB meeting yesterday also considered some other proposed amendments to some of the regulations in the FA?s statute books, including the need for a standardisation of the registration of foreign players.