BREAKS IN THE GLO LEAGUE … ONE TOO MANY

The breaks in the local league (GLO Premier League) is undoubtedly becoming one too many and beyond being disruptive of the hitherto arranged football calendar as scheduled by the Premier league Board (PLB) is taking the steam out of the league.

The latest break has been necessitated by a West Africa Football Union (WAFU) tournament slated for Nigeria, for which reason the league has been put on ice to allow for the team constituted of predominantly premier league players to participate.

The rule about the absence of three players in a particular team being injurious to the team’s games for which reason the team’s games should be postponed might have been well intentioned but is proving very inimical to the league as per this season’s breaks.

Indeed, the implication of three players being enough to warrant a match postponement tells that; clubs are not well resourced even on the bench to the extent that they are considered disadvantaged without three players.

The question then is; what happens in case that the players are hit by injury and or if they have secured some supposedly juicy trials to play in Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Thailand and Venezuela with some peanuts going to their clubs and managers?

The law may have served a certain purpose in times past but I guess with the current developments as we are all witnesses to, it has outlived its usefulness for which reason a review should be on the cards to reverse this trend to save the ailing local league.

The many breaks aside being inimical to iota of support left for the league has brought about little or no good to the league but rather deepened interest in the more consistent European leagues over the period of time.

A clear case is the break to allow for the local component of the Black Stars to participate in the Championship Of African Nations (CHAN) tournament played in Sudan, relative to what transpired at the tournament the least said the better.

I would however reiterate what benefit Ghana Football in my opinion got from the CHAN, first, a rude awakening; call it reality check, to the FACT (Caps mine) that our league was nothing to write home about.

The second was an affirmation of the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to half our continental representatives in the inter continental club competitions.

As if that was not enough, the representatives; (league Champions, Aduana Stars and Obuasi based Ash Gold) both exited the competition before the group stages; a further endorsement of the CAF position.

At the risk of playing the devil, clubs going into the next seasons’ competition might do no better at least by the current standard of play being exhibited by league leaders, Berekum Chelsea and Kumasi Asante Kotoko.

Another break was for the African Youth Championship scheduled for South Africa, during which time Orlando Wellington and his charges flopped badly at least did better than the CHAN squad.

All this while the league was on break and the steam therein was evaporating, so bad is the situation that at anypoint in time there was no indication when the league was going to break.

Another annoying issue I find is how the league takes a months break only for the team to be kicked out in two weeks, ordinarily would it not have served a better purpose to place a caveat on the break that as and when a team is eliminated the league is to resume say three days after?

Here we are in the middle of no where, no knowing exactly when the league is going to end, today postponement, tomorrow postponement; should be a thing of the past come next season to salvage the very little left of a nose diving league.

The PLB and GFA must sit with other key stakeholders as the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), club administrators and the GFA Technical committee as well as the media to liaise on how to right this blatant wrong in the game; failure to which our football is sure to continue eroding at a much faster rate than currently.

At least for the love of the game and in efforts aimed at salvaging the future of the game, all hands must be on deck in this fight. We are all involved!!

© SHABAN BARANI ALPHA

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