Preko wants fans back at league matches
The coach of Medeama SC, Yaw Preko, has made a passionate appeal to the management of football clubs to strictly enforce COVID-19 protocols at football venues to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
He said it was only a clear demonstration by clubs to enforce the protocols that would convince the government and football controlling body to ease restrictions on attendance during football matches.
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In recent months, football fans have been barred from attending league matches following the decision of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to have league matches played behind closed doors as part of COVID-19 restrictions, having earlier sanctioned some clubs for breaking the FA's COVID-19 match day protocols.
However, the coach told the Graphic Sports that playing matches behind closed doors, even though good intention to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic, has made matches unexciting and, therefore, wants a review of the directive ahead of the second round of the Ghana Premier League as long as clubs are ready to enforce the health and safety protocols.
“The league has now become very competitive at a time only a few fans are allowed into football centers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is for this reason that I am appealing to football fans to strictly abide by all COVID-19 protocols to curb the spread of the virus, as a way of assuring the government to ease restrictions on attendance at the stadium,” Coach Preko told Graphic Sports.
Preko, who was in charge of Great Olympics for just five matches as a caretaker coach, before his appointment this moth as the head coach of Medeama, said football players were eager to have fans back at the stadium, as their presence creates the needed atmospshere for them to excel.
“The players are itching to have you at the stadium to motivate them to excel because football without fans is not fun enough.”
“We should all obey the protocols so that we enjoy football once again, hence it is important that the fans play their part to curb the spread of the pandemic to give an assurance to the government to ease the restrictions on attendance during league matches,” appealed the coach.
On Medeama's preparations for the second round, he said the technical team had taken advantage of the short break in the league to put the players through tactical drills ahead of the competition's resumption on April 2,2021.
“We intend to keep the players in good shape to make them much more competitive during the league for us to actualise our dream of winning the league trophy.”