Former President of the Ghana Football Association Normalization Committee, Dr Kofi Amoah, has called on the current administration to enforce the Club Licencing Statutes that he and his team put together during their tenure at the FA.
Dr Amoah, in a write-up on Twitter over the weekend, posited that until there is a political and leadership will to enforce the Club Licencing Statutes, Ghana football will continue to sink into the abyss.
The future and health of Ghana football has become a topical issue in recent days following the elimination of the Black Galaxies from the ongoing Championship of African Nations (CHAN) tournament in Algeria.
A 2-0 defeat to Niger in the quarter-finals of the competition on Saturday sent Ghana packing from the competition.
It comes on the heels of Ghana’s first-round exit at the 2022 AFCON last January and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
While the blame has been shifted around, with the GFA, government and the Sports Ministry receiving most of the brunt of football fans, Dr Amoah suggests the solutions aren’t far-fetched.
“One of the issues that continue to undermine and weaken any effort to improve Ghana Football is that of CLUB LICENSING STATUTES. These are the regulations that guide the proper, minimum and indispensable investments that must be made by each club before being licensed by the GFA.
“If all clubs make the required investments in pitches, coaches, player welfare etc as contained in the statutes (I urge our sports media to be intimately familiar with these statutes to be able to monitor and comment appropriately), the level of our football enterprise will rise.
“The Normalization Committee was set up to produce new statutes for the GFA that would rid itself of malfeasance and improve the game across the board
The blueprint for that is the Statutes the NC produced, approved by FIFA and adopted by the GFA Congress. NOW LETS ENFORCE IT PLS!
Dr Amoah adds that the recent attempts by some persons to blame the Normalization Committee for the malaise in Ghana football since 2019 is not factual.
Dr Amoah in an interview with GhanaWeb said “in general, our sports media do not educate themselves in detail to monitor the operations and performance of sports administrators, in this case the GFA and the Sports Ministry
1.What were the mandate for the NC and did they fulfil them?
2. What were supposed to be the NC’s deliverables … new statutes, proper elections to select new administrators, from the Executive Council down to all the football divisions … men and women; GFA Committees etc
Were these accomplished?
3. The NC-produced new Statutes were approved by FIFA and the GFA Congress, and GFE Executive Council adopted them
Has any media organization or individual monitored the GFA activities since the inauguration of the new structure and if the Rules and Regulations put in by the NC (approved and adopted) are being followed or not?
4. The core of Ghana’s football problems gyrate around the laws and regulations that MUST be observed regarding the licensing and ongoing supervision of football clubs and their administration
If the GFA refuses to be disciplined in the continuous and unalloyed enforcement and supervision of its own CLUB LICENSING STATUTES, the Bible for the health and progress of all football clubs in the world, the blame game and finger-pointing will continue and the problems of good player exodus, lack of patronage from supporters on a consistent basis, poor corporate sponsorship, poor ticket and merchandising revenues and weak and uninspiring domestic league will continue …
5. The strength of football in every country can be gauged from the strength, growth and beauty of her domestic league to their football-loving fans …. this is what produces the enviable additions to great football countries' GDPs … in the billions of dollars, not to mention the thousands of good-paying football jobs and the other social benefits of entertainment and bonding amongst citizens and families from generations to generations
Ghana can benefit likewise, having been blessed with the talent and love for the game
But this can only happen if we get the crucibles and infrastructure of the football enterprise right and consistent
And this we must be able to do, I’m convinced!
What is the Club Licencing Regulations
The Club Licencing Regulations is a set of rules that govern the way football clubs must operate in Ghana and is modelled around best practices in more advanced economies.
The GFA website describes it as “Requirements to be fulfilled by the license applicant divided into five categories (sporting, infrastructure, personnel and administrative, legal and financial), with each category being split into three grades A-C (mandatory and best practice recommendation).
Former President of the Ghana Football Association Normalization Committee, Dr Kofi Amoah