President John Dramani Mahama has called for the rebranding of Ghanaian football to make it more competitive.
The report indicates that president John Dramani Mahama has called for the rebranding of Ghanaian football to make it more competitive.
It further notes that he urged the Ghana Football Association, the Referees Association of Ghana and owners of football clubs to ensure that the bar was raised to international standards to make local football highly competitive.
The President made the appeal during a courtesy call on him at the Presidency in Accra by Medeama Sporting Club (SC), the reigning champion of the Ghana Premier League and 2026 Champion of Champions, Nations Football Club (FC) and Ampem Darkoa Ladies Football Club.
President Mahama presented a cheque GH¢342,000 (USD 30,000) to Medeama SC in support of their African Continental League Championship matches.
He also presented GH¢228,000 (USD 20,000) to Nations FC and GH¢114,000 (USD 10,000) to Ampem Darkoa Ladies FC.
At the event, Medeama SC and Nations FC presented their trophies. to the President
President Mahama stated unfair refereeing was one of the things that was destroying our soccer.
“I mean, the matches are played before they are played. And everybody, we know, for every match, there’s a ways and means budget,” he said.
He added: “It makes the league not competitive because the match has been played already; somebody has won, so what’s the use going to play the match anyway?”
The President urged both the Ghana Referees Association and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to see how they could improve refereeing.
He stated a lot of the spectators had abandoned going to watch matches because they believe that the matches were pre-sets before they even go to play the match.
“And so, spectator numbers are dwindling. Gate fee proceeds are going down. It is in our interest to make the league competitive,” he said.
President Mahama added: “The matches must be tough. Everybody must leave feeling that there’s a neutral referee and that whoever won won.”
President Mahama noted Football was a very good branding instrument for any country and that soccer was followed by millions of people across the world.
