GPL halt: Club owners propose alternative league

Football club owners in the country are considering an alternative league following the halt of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) in the wake of the Number 12 exposé by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas which revealed massive rot in Ghana football.

“In the coming days, we hope to bring together all club owners in consultation with GHALCA (Ghana League Clubs Association) to chart a new course and put together the blueprint for a restructured football league for the consideration of all stakeholders,” a joint statement by owners of six clubs out of the total of 16 clubs participating in the suspended GPL stated on Thursday 21 June 2018.

Karela Football Club, Accra Hearts of Oak, Ebusua Dwarfs FC, Elmina Sharks FC and Medeama FC expressed “regret and extreme embarrassment” over the development and emphasised that the conduct of the officials “has brought our game into disrepute”.

The Government has embarked on a move to dissolve the Ghana Football Association (GFA) after revelations of alleged corruption on the part of match referees and some officials of the FA, including its former President, Kwesi Nyantakyi.

However, the meeting between the Government of Ghana and FIFA officials concerning the restructuring of GFA scheduled for Friday 22 June 2018 has been postponed indefinitely.

Without any timelines for the GPL to resume, the club owners have expressed frustrations indicating that they “have invested significant sums to build our teams to the highest levels including playing facilities, we are also incurring financial losses”.

The clubs said they “agree that our league needs significant restructuring to bring about greater discipline and better financial rewards to all stakeholders. We want to take our destiny into our hands as club owners”.