Government must think outside the box when it comes to sports - Alabi

The ideal way to deal with the challenges stifling the growth of sports in the country is by thinking deep and coming out with innovative ways of funding sports, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies (UPSA), Professor Joshua Alabi has said.

In the wisdom of the renowned educationist, Ghana can only benefit from its talented sports men and women if the government finds more pragmatic ways of generating funds to support sporting activities.

Using the Ghana Premier League as an example, Professor Alabi recommended that government take up salaries of the players in the league with a provision that allows it to recoup the investment if the players join clubs abroad.

“We have to think outside the box when it comes to sports. We are talented when it comes to Football, The World over they know. We have 16 Premier Clubs and about 40-something (The Division One League has 48 clubs). The clubs find it difficult to pay the players, so sometimes the players can’t come out with their talents and do their best. Can’t government take up the salaries of these players with a caveat because at that time the players will be in need so they will sign? So they will sign that when you are transferred to Europe or anywhere about five or ten per cent of your monthly salary should be brought to the national kitty".

"You can imagine, if we had done that for Michael Essien and Asamoah Gyan we would have made more to run sports and other sports in this country. So it’s just a matter of thinking outside the box”, he said on ’21 minutes with KKB’.

Professor Alabi also declared his readiness to assist the government fix the problems in the sporting sector should he be called upon. “I will be very glad to help because I’m doing this for the love of this country”.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate hopeful however believes that any government that tries to imitate his policy would not succeed because “the vision owner always does better than the one who copies the vision”.

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