GFA Medical team to apply strict measures to ensure the safety of players

Dr. Adam Baba, Chairman of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Medical Committee, has said there will be strict application of strict measures to ensure player safety in domestic competitions.

This, he said would help improve the health of footballers who play in the domestic competitions.

According to the experienced medical practitioner, education and training of medics are two important areas that need urgent attention in their quest to revive domestic football after the COVID 19.

“We would have to start from the internal arrangement. By Internal arrangement, I mean our local league. What we intend to do is at least to organize two seminars for handlers, masseurs, physiotherapists, or the Doctors of the Premier League Clubs” Dr. Baba said.

Dr. Baba further emphasized on the need to subject players to proper medical scrutiny before competitions.

“One pressing issue that has been going on for years is what we call the pre-competition medical assessment (PCMA) of the players. It’s mandatory by FIFA for all clubs to undergo it before they engage the footballers.

“If a player is to go out (abroad), normally teams would ask for his medical report which we don’t have. Is it the PCMA’s that we normally fill?,” he quizzed.

“Our first priority will be education. The other thing is to really emphasize the PCMAs. Before the league starts, it should be ensured that all participating clubs do it and do it well. Because before you recruit a player, he has to undergo a medical examination and a fitness test. But all these, we just brush it, once he is playing somewhere, he comes, we just take the forms and get a doctor to sign.

“So what we shall do is to audit the PCMAs because this thing must be done for future purposes. We don’t know, any accident can occur and the international federation would want to know what he went through medically before you allow him to participate in the competition. If we fail to produce it, we might be penalized,” the former Black Stars team doctor also noted.