...says division one clubs are broke

Mr Ade Coker, President of Olympiakos, a first division club said on Sunday that it was high time the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and Tudu Mighty Jets smoked the peace pipe to facilitate the commencement of the First Division League.

Speaking to the GNA Sports, Mr Coker said a further delay of the league would make most of the clubs bankrupt and unable to participate in the league.

He said the teams have been preparing for the competition for nine months, paying salaries and medical bills, buying kits and organising practice matches without any opportunity for them recoup any decimal of their investment through match proceeds and lamented that the situation could kill the development of the game.

The club president said even the buoyant clubs in the premier league, which earn money from their league matches are feeling the pinch as was relayed by the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) secretariat last week and wondered why first division clubs, which have weaker financial bases should be made to suffer so much.

Mr Coker said he spends about 20, 000,000 cedis per month to fend for his players aside kits and called on the GFA to have a second thought about the penalty given to Mighty Jets as lack of funds is a tenable excuse which must be considered on its merit.

He wondered why the GFA gave the same excuse for failing to send the Black Stars on a training tour of Europe ahead of their match with Uganda and pointed out that it was God's way of giving judgement in favour of Mighty Jets.

"God is showing us the way because if the GFA can cite lack of funds for skipping a match which was arranged far in advance, then the same fate can befall a club whose owner is sacrificing to help develop the game in the country.

"Should FIFA ban Ghana for three years if we are reported by Obilic for failing to honour the match, which they had prepared for?" he asked.

He appealed to the "powers that be at the GFA to bury the hatchet and let's start the Division One league in the interest of the development of the game" adding that Ghana football would be the winner, not Mighty Jets or the GFA."