Former Ghana youth goalkeeper, Ali Jarrah
Former Ghana goalkeeper Ali Jarrah, who took to social media site, Facebook on Sunday to post a heart-wrenching account of his frustrations in life, may be suffering from depression, according to a close source.
Jarrah was Ghana’s finest goalkeeper in the early nineties and was close to signing a professional contract with then German giants FC Cologne but for a strange disease that paralyzed him truncating his young but blissful career.
The 40-year-old Fire Service personnel shocked the airwaves after posting a lengthy message on Facebook akin to a suicide note, where he expressed the continual neglect by the nation and society he once served, disclosing that he is “dying slowly”.
But a close source to Jarrah was quick to hint that the ex-goalkeeper needs urgent psychological attention because he looks like suffering from a “acute depression”.
“The Ali Jarrah I knew who was very lively and easy going has changed and I can state he is suffering from depression and that he needs urgent psychological attention”, he told Sportscrusader.com
“Some of the stories he tells you now are stories that have eaten him up for a very long time and I believe he cannot deal with them as he has been living with it for over 23 years”.
“His problem is that, even now that he works for Fire Service, he has been stagnant without promotion for all the years primarily because of his disability and I think that makes him demoralized”, he added.
More than a quarter of ex professional footballers suffer from depression or anxiety problems, according to a new study carried out by the international players’ union FIFPro.
The research showed that 26 per cent of players reported the mental health problems with that figure rising to 39 per cent among retired players.
“Former professional footballers report more mental health problems than current players, endorsing that the period just after retirement from professional football is a critical one for many players.
