An exciting first round so far
This weekend when the curtain is drawn on the first round of the Ghana Premier League, organisers of the competition can sit back and heave a sigh of relief that the league has run quite smoothly, without a lot of hitches and controversy.
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In spite of the controversial manner in which the season began, after the title sponsor, Capital Bank (formerly First Capital Plus Bank), had withdrawn its five-year sponsorship after the second year, citing its frustration with certain issues which blighted last season’s league, the first round has been full of excitement, albeit laced with some few contentious issues both on and off the pitch.
Even though the season started many months late, there was an unusually high interest by Ghanaians in the league, which could be attributed to a real hunger for local football and, more importantly, improved coverage and marketing of the game.
It was initially feared that the delayed league season would be overshadowed by the European leagues on pay TV, but this has not been the case, given the high attendance at our league matches, even on days when there are high-profile matches in Europe.
This season, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Premier League Board (PLB) appear to have learnt useful lessons from the near blackout of the competition on local terrestrial television and have ensured that broadcast sponsor, SuperSport, partners some local TV stations to show selected matches and highlights to Ghanaians. And with improved coverage by SuperSport, the league looks more appealing to the eye, thereby enabling football fans to see vividly every goal scored from various angles.
The improved attendance at football matches, particularly those involving Accra Hearts of Oak, as well as ‘smaller’ clubs such as Techiman City, Dreams FC and Wa All Stars, points to the excitement generated through improved media coverage and marketing by the individual clubs which are now making efforts to reach the younger generation through rich content on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
It is worthy to note also that disciplinary issues, which had bedevilled the league in previous years and led to needless court battles, have been reduced due to the dispatch with which the FA’s adjudicating bodies have handled cases brought before them so far.
The notable exception was the undue delay by the Disciplinary Committee in ruling on the acts of hooliganism which marred the clash between Hearts and Wa All Stars in Accra. The needless delay raised a lot of suspicion of underhand moves to favour the Phobians.
It is important that the FA’s adjudicating bodies work in a manner that is above board and beyond reproach to engender trust and reduce the tendency for aggrieved parties to resort to the courts to seek redress for perceived injustice by the FA bodies.
While the FA and the PLB are expected to crack the whip, where necessary, without impartiality, crowd violence and safety at our league centres must be given a serious look, as pockets of violence recorded in the first round could potentially ruin the league and make it unattractive to potential sponsors.
