Reserve league now for only under U-17 players
Only players under 17 years will be eligible to play in the Ghanaian reserve league, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) announced yesterday at its ordinary congress held at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence at Prampram yesterday.
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The new rule will, however, take effect from the 2014/15 football season.
According to the GFA President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, the new directive was designed to make the league fully achieve its intended purpose.
“Effective the 2014/2015 season, the reserve league will be an Under-17 competition and not an Under-20 competition,” he said at congress yesterday.
“This is so because we have realised that at age 18, players are eligible to sign professional contracts with their clubs.
“This, therefore, will not serve the intended purpose with the players promoted to the senior side after signing their professional contracts with the clubs, hence this decision.”
The reserve league is a competition organised by the FA for the youth sides of all Premier League clubs.
Meanwhile, the FA president yesterday informed Congress that Berekum Chelsea President, Emmanuel Kyeremeh, had sought permission for not undertaking his duties at the FA due to health concerns.
Mr Kyeremeh has been absent from the last three meetings of the FA's Executive Committee, an absence which could have occasioned his removal from the powerful body if he did so without any just cause, according to the GFA statutes.
However, the official notification by the chartered accountant, backed by a medical report, prevented congress from strictly applying Article 29.5 of the GFA Statutes.
“Mr Kyeremeh has been unable to attend the last three meetings of the Executive Committee.
“He has submitted a medical report to justify his absence and we will want to wish him speedy recovery, Mr Nyantakyi said. ”