Premier league clubs sweat over spectators — As financial burden bites (2)
A trader at Cantanmanto, a local market in Accra, Maame Gyasiwaa recalled to the GraphicBusiness that while he hears and watches of skilled footballers and goalscoreres such as Joe Fameyeh, Kwadwo Poku and Ishmael Addo, she hardly hears of any quality player in the league in recent times.
Added to this the nation’s overconcentration of football as the only discipline in the country has caused many sports fans to loathe football in the country and dislike the idea of going to watch a football match, most important support the national football teams.
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In this harsh economic climate it makes sense for one to use GH¢20 for a ball of kenkey than to watch football match that one finds no joy in.
But the problem with lack of spectators at match venues goes beyond Hearts and Kotoko. It’s to a large extent does not even fall under the remit of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
The reason I agree with it’s president Simeon Kurt Okraku when he said it is not the FA’s duty to bring supporters to the stadium but the club’s.
However, albeit the clubs have a role, it is not even the club’s duty, this canker is a symptom of how as a nation we have seen football to mean Black Stars and ganged up with some self-seeking elements in the discipline to use the Black Stars as their money making machine at the detriment of the nationwide love and support of the beautiful game.
Football in Ghana is not what we have come to know in europe and other continents. In Ghana it is Black Stars and loads of investment into one subset of the larger set.
Elsewhere football is everything that come with the beautiful game and accompanies it.The needed investments and cash inflows are made and the dividends are derived from such.
Until authorities and stakeholders make a concerted effort at growing the game holistically which is to develop football from the grassroots, place emphasis on all genders, talent harnessing and eschew the mono-sport (football) mentality of successive governments the apathy toward the sport and unattractiveness to the beautiful game in the country shall persist.
Developing the football through the lenses of women an men’s game, growing grassroot football and harnessing talents, the premier league will wither and go into a state of oblivion.
