By: Alex Kobina Stonne
The Ghana Premier League (GPL) is facing a bleak future, it is a league in shambles with no headline sponsorship in sight for the next decade.
The Ghana Premier League used to be one of the respected leagues on the African continent. Clubs in the league were revered for their competitiveness and churning of good players in the league.
The two biggest teams in the country, Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko are former heavyweights on the continent by virtue of their past glories.
The number 12 exposé by Anas Aremeyaw Anas brought out a lot of these scandals ongoing in the league but it seems the various stakeholders are not ready to fix them.
The league has been plagued by match-fixing scandals. A notable one is the game between Ashantigold Football Club and Inter Allies Football Club a few seasons ago.
In the last round of games in the 2023/2024 Ghana Premier League season, a lot of games looks fixed with results already been decided in boardrooms.
Administrative incompetence, is also one of the issues bringing the credibility of the league down. Officials of RTU a week ago masterminded impersonation of players due to their inability to pay salaries of their players.
The league lacks transparency, making it unattractive to potential sponsors.
Recent incidents include the controversial cancellation of BetPawa’s sponsorship, unexplained punishments for teams like Real Tamale United, and the GFA’s questionable decisions that favor certain teams over others. The league’s integrity has been compromised, and the lack of accountability is alarming.
The GFA’s priorities seem misplaced, awarding a car to the best referee while neglecting to recognize outstanding players. This neglect has led to a decline in interest from Black Stars coaches, who now overlook local players for national team selection.
Unless the GFA addresses these issues and restores the league’s integrity, the Ghana Premier League risks losing credibility and sponsorship for years to come.
