Thanks to our Independence Day celebration, March has been
touted as Ghana Month. As expected, the fourth Estate of the Realm has played
its part in hyping virtually everything Ghanaian. As such, terms like "Wear
Ghana", "Eat Ghana", "See Ghana", have suddenly
sufficed. With recent happenings in the banking sector (Uni Bank, A.D.B, Bank
of Ghana et al), not forgetting the brouhaha surrounding the Ghana-US Military
Cooperation agreement (coincidentally in the same month), questions have been
raised on the motive behind the initiative. Is it just a publicity stunt? Or an allure to instill a sense of patriotism
amongst Ghanaians? Irrespective of your
perspective, one thing is certain; the awareness generated by the creative arts
industry via our music, fashion and art has been immense and awe-inspiring. Wistfully,
same praise cannot be ascribed to our football league system. An industry with
the perpetual capacity to unify a nation, create employment and provide entertainment
for its citizenry.
Enter any barbering shop, tune in to any radio station or
join any social media platform and one thing is certain; Football discourses
among Ghanaians are mostly centred around the Top 5 European Leagues (Spanish
La Liga, French Ligue 1, Premier League, Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga)
at the expense of our local league. Per rules and regulations governing the
beautiful game, FIFA has given the GFA carte blanche to oversee and manage football
in the country (a mandate I still find absurd). Plagued with injunctions, poor officiating, perpetual player
exodus (as a result of the poor salaries paid players) and corruption allegations,
Ghana’s premier club competition (GPL) has lost its allure and appeal it once
possessed in the ’90s and early 2000’s. The remarkable achievements of the
Egyptian, Moroccan and quite recently South African clubs is simply telling us
that, the quality of your league is directly related to your performances in
continental cup competitions. On the other hand, no Ghanaian club has made an
impact in either the CAF Champions League or Confederations Cup since 2004/05 season;
an embarrassing but unsurprising piece of information. From low turnouts to games
stemming from the underwhelming quality of football on display and dodgy
officiating, Clubs have resorted to renting out their pitches for
non-footballing activities. For instance, Elmina Sharks fixture with Berekum
Chelsea scheduled to take place on 28th March 2018 had been
postponed because the Golden City Park has been rented by the church of
Pentecost for an Easter Convention. In the midst of all this drama, lies a
ridiculously incessant cry for sponsorship. But will a profit-seeking entity
invest its resources in a near defunct league? No Siree!!
The world is considered a global village, thus people naturally support quality irrespective of its source or origin.
In its current state, the chutzpa of Ex-President Jerry John
Rawlings, the sanctity of Rev Dr. Mensah Otabil’s teachings and wit of Lawyer Ace
Ankomah wouldn’t be enough to reignite our lost passion. However, ‘Grind Day’
artiste Kwasi Arthur might have indirectly handed the local league a lifeline
by occasionally sporting the Accra Hearts of Oak Jersey.
Over to you President Kwasi Nyantakyi. Happy Easter !!!
Twitter @Terence__Wood
Twitter @Terence__Wood
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