Does our Premier League, as it stands now, have a meaningful future? Let’s educate ourselves a bit to beat the illiteracy. After considering the remarkable vision of the brains that designed football and its competitive nature, plus the formation of clubs to compete for honours, do we have any reason to suggest its bright future the way we are handling it in our terrain?
Have you ever wondered if there is more to football than just kicking the ball, winning, losing and drawing to make the people with passion for the game feel sad, happy and awfully relaxed in their distress? What is football doing in your life? What is it doing in our dear country, this fantastic Coast of Gold?
This is one game with numerous intricate modalities and rules, the fundamentals as they apply on the field of play, in its governing regulations, its laws on player acquisition, down to the complex international competitions and tournaments such as CAF competitions and the World Cup.
It seems the world is happy with what is happening as the game is played everywhere almost daily with fans trooping to the stadia, and to video centres and cashing in on betting at “Soccer-bets”. It is a big business now!
In a nutshell, people who do football are supposed to be abreast of the rules and regulations to avoid the situation where they are caught in an embarrassing net of ignorance and suspicious frauds. Looking back at the 57 years of our national league, one might conjecture that lovers and movers of the game might have become conscious of what constitutes errors to avoid falling into such funny traps.
Indeed, people are so passionate with the game that the least action on the field by a referee or any official, or anything from the boardroom or anywhere concerning football sets every tongue wagging, especially in a situation where hundreds of radio stations and newspapers have been established with each one fighting for leadership in matters arising.
Right now, while the national team, the Black Stars, are seriously engaged in their qualification to participate in the next AFCON tournament slated for Gabon in 2017, events in the action-packed First Capital Plus national league gives a clear indication that we are not up to the task, and even more worrying is what every detail of the rules and regulations of the game implies.
I believe each club in the premiership has its legal and administrative secretariat where everyday events are properly digested and interpreted to management and the playing body, and further to the board of directors.
But how strange it is that the recent verdict of the GFA Disciplinary Committee on the protest lodged by Accra Hearts of Oak against Kumasi Asante Kotoko for fielding an unqualified player in the person of Obed Owusu should spark a fuse and all sorts of interpretations with everybody from both camps talking aloud!
With the current Premier League under the guidance of the Premier League Board (PLB) almost completed, every club on top or in the middle of the league table is holding fast to its position to avoid a drop, while those in the relegation zone are struggling hard for survival. In fact, in the pronouncement of the verdict, every ardent follower of Kotoko who lost six points and, therefore, dropped to the 15th position decided to express his or her disgust over the findings.
I overheard some saying that Kotoko must boycott the league in protest, with some even threatening the club’s management for not acting fast enough to overturn the verdict and that they would never allow the FA to go unpunished for what they termed as unfair deal against their idol club. However, in the twist of the matter, Kotoko responded to the goodwill and advice of their lovers to go ahead and prepare well for the rest of the league to prove that “Wo Kum Apem a, Apem Beba”.
It was a good decision as any negative and unwarrantable action could have sunk them further down, with Hasaacas gaining unwarrantable three points with three goals. Now with only one match to go, one can bet with one’s last pesewa that almost every club playing at home must win hands down.
In other words, we must expect New Edubiase to beat Heart of Lions, Kotoko to discipline Aduana Stars, Liberty Professionals to make light work of Hasaacas, Bechem United to override B.A. United, Medeama to punish Inter Allies, Chelsea to overcome Wa All Stars, WAFA to show Hearts where power lies, and Olympics to grab their final three points from Ashantigold in Accra.
Only fate knows who will drop to the lower division or who will survive among the seven clubs in the danger zone. But of course, there are a lot to learn from the recent happenings, and those watching the league must open their eyes wider to avoid falling into undue temptations.
In the end, let’s congratulate First Capital Plus Bank for having the patience to remain resolute with their sponsorship in the midst of all the problems that the current league went through from the days Alhaji Gruzah made his court case against the FA for their actions and inaction, to the last minute which nearly marred the beauty of the game we love so much! God bless!
