Chairman calls for discipline in the Regional Soccer League

Koforidua, June 9, GNA 96 The newly elected Chairman of the Eastern Regional Football Association (ERFA), Mr Abdul-Ganiyu Lawal has called for discipline in the Regional football League to enable the Association attract sponsorships for the promotion of soccer in the Region.

Mr Lawal therefore advised club managers to strategies and stop thinking that they had to win all their home matches by all means adding that they have to educate their supporters to stop abusing and attacking referees during football matches.

The advice was given at this year's Congress of the ERFA at Koforidua which was attended by representatives of Second and Third Division clubs and representatives of Juvenile and Women football associations of the Region.

The Congress decided to register 48 clubs to participate in this year=92s Second Division Soccer League.

The teams would be divided into eight zones of six clubs each in which the first and second clubs of each of the zones in addition to the two best third placed teams in the six zones at the end of the league, will qualify to play in the Division Two Middle League including two clubs to be selected from the Afram Plains. Mr Lawal said soccer was big business and team managers should be more interested in the business aspects of the sports which demands discipline.

He advised that most interested investors would have the chance to observe players during football matches and any disruption during and after play would cost a lost of opportunity to the teams and the region. The Chairman said from the beginning of this football season, registration of cards of players of the clubs would be decentralized with all the necessary documentation taking place in the Region. The Secretary of the ERFA, Mr Solomon Yamoah announced that participating clubs in the League are to pay an affiliation fee of 400,000 cedis to last up to July 15. Mr Yamoah said the date for the commencement of this year=92s Regional Second Division soccer league would be decided after a consultative meeting of the GFA after the World Cup tournament. He said a week before the commencement of the league, a special meeting would be organized for representatives of the clubs to educate them in the proper completion of the registration forms that should conform to FIFA regulations.