The Ghana Football Association (GFA) Club Licensing Manager, Julius Ben Emunah says only proper investment in infrastructure will help Ghana football reach the height it deserves.
“What we need now to happen is proper infrastructure development to start because infrastructure is the hallmark of the game, if you do not have it you cannot develop the sport.”
Emunah made the remarks in a chat with Accra based Asempa FM where he denounced the current situation in which the country was currently struggling with venues to host Confederation of African Football (CAF) organised matches.
According to him, the lacklustre approach to infrastructure development in the country was the major cause of the current predicament and that, time had come for football in the country to be seen as serious business that has huge socio-economic impact.
According to him, the numbers the World Cup play-off between Ghana and Nigeria at the Kumasi Sports Stadium last month generated was innumerable and that there was no event in Ghana that can match-up to that.
This, according to him should suggest “It is time to take football seriously in this country and not as a social intervention as we see it.”
The Club Licensing manager disclosed that CAF has written to GFA that there are a few issues with the Kumasi Sports Stadium and until those issues were resolved it would not be fit for purpose.
The Accra Sports Stadium had disciplinary issues after the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game between the Black Stars and São Tomé and Príncipe in March 2021, which has not been attended to since them
“The Cape Coast Stadium has the same disciplinary issues but because it is not in use currently due to the absence of Ebusua Dwarfs, we are able to close it down for work to be done on the pitch after the Independence Day celebration.”
He expressed the hope that the Cape Coast stadium which has been tendered in to host Ghana’s AFCON games would pass the test when CAF officials come in to inspect the facilities.
He said it was important to look at other ways to raise funds to maintain the facilities;no our development is heavily dependent of the kind of investment to be made in infrastructure.
He said the new phenomenon of astro-turf facilities springing around the country do not help because they cannot host Division One League games and Premier league games.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
