Pay local players well to curb exodus - Tony Baffoe

Ex-Ghana defender Tony Baffoe has urged local clubs to institute a decent salary structure which will reduce the existing player exodus.

Baffoe, who spend chunk of his playing career in the Germany, says the talent drain is as a result of the financial difficulties home-based players face.

Clubs in the Ghana Premier League are struggling to hold onto burgeoning talents.

Last season’s Most Valuable Player Augustine Okrah has joined big-spending Al Merreikh of Sudan.

Several stars of the 2013/2014 campaign- Kwabena Edusei, Nuru Sulley, Yahaya Mohammed, Siedu Bansey and Abdul Aziz Yusif have joined clubs in South Africa, Egypt and Libya respectively.

Baffoe, who is General Secretary of the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana (PFAG), knows how to stop this trend.

“There should be a system where players will earn a minimum wage barrier, like one thousand dollars ($1000) monthly. When such a system is put in place, player exodus would be greatly curtailed,” Baffoe said Happy FM Ghana Sports Fans Awards Night.

The former Koln defender was awarded the Sports Personality of the Year after a groundbreaking year that saw him commission high profile games including the 2014 FIFA World Cup final between Germany and Argentina at the Maracana.