Rosaline Amoh has called for investment in women's football
The campaign for equality in football received a massive endorsement on Wednesday as the Brazilian Football Federation announced equal pay package for both male and female national team players.
The CBF announced that henceforth Martha and her colleagues will receive the same bonuses and per diems as Neymar and his ilk.
The decision has received a massive commendation from the football fraternity as it is seen as a giant stride in the bid to bridge the gap between the women’s game and that of their male counterparts.
It comes as a piece of resounding and refreshing news after another powerhouse, the US tried without success to do same.
Brazil becomes the second high-profile footballing country to adopt that structure after England.
Suggestions have been made that Ghana should follow suit and use it as a motivating factor for female footballers in the country.
The proposition is that Elizabeth Addo who is the skipper of the Black Queens should earn the same bonus as Andre Ayew who occupies the same position in the Black Stars.
Madam Rosaline Amoh is an authority on women’s football in the country discusses the issue with www.ghanaweb.com .
Much as she believes that it will be a huge motivation for the female players, she recognizes that the grounds are not yet fertile for such policies to be implemented in Ghana football.
“It depends on the government’s willingness to pay because currently, the government pays bonuses. The FA will make a proposal and the government will consider and make recommendations for it to be paid. It has to be a conversation between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and government”.
“I think it is early days yet for it to be done in Ghana. You can’t compare our game at that level to the Black Stars so we have to do it steadily but we should find a way of bridging the gap.
In terms of popularity, female football cannot be compared to the male game. Our Black Queens are nowhere close to the Black Stars when it comes to achievements. We will have to work steadily and have a holistic conversation about it.
The Brazilians have been very close to winning competitions at the international level but they have not been able to do so and FCB have realized that the ladies are not motivated enough so this is a way of motivating them”.
So how can Ghana get its female soccer teams to the level attained by Brazil, US and the other countries? The respected journalist recommends infrastructure development and training of local coaches as the ideal means of developing the game.
“We need to invest in the facilities and make it convenient. We have improved on the facilities at the national level but when it comes to the grassroots, we still have a long way to go. When you have enough pitches at the grassroots then you have more than enough talents”, she said.
