‘Be brave and justify to government why it is necessary to invest in football’ – George Afriyie to GFA

Former Vice President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), George Afriyie, has urged the current administration to be brave and justify to the government why it must invest in football.

He believes this will help boost the local football economy and spur Ghanaian clubs on to perform better in Africa.

The Planners Athletic Club owner was speaking at Asempa FM’s Sports Dialogue on how to bring back fans to the local league centers.

When asked if government has a role to play in reviving the local football economy, he said “big role. Let me tell you something. It is about time the FA becomes brave and justify to the government why it is necessary to invest in the Ghana Premier League product and to a large extent, the Division One League.

“Today, if FC Samartex qualify and they are to represent Ghana in Africa, they are doing so in the name of Ghana, not Samartex as an individual club.

“So why is government not interested in how the club is developing to reach that level of representing the country in Africa?

“If the club gets there and disgraces the whole country, what will you do? You must be interested. We are not saying fund the club but government must be able to fund certain aspects of the league.”