The 12-member Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), led by Presdient Kurt E.S. Okraku, have a herculean task to finally decide on the fate of Ghana Football today in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The much-anticipated decision is expected to end weeks of apprehension and heated debates over whether the 2019/2019 league season should continue like the other leagues in Europe and elsewhere or not.
So far, opinions are divided among the stakeholders of the football industry over the continuation of the season or otherwise.
While some club officials hold the view that the season, which is yet to enter the second round unlike the European leagues, should be discontinued to enable clubs to prepare adequately for next season with the FIFA Relief Fund, others believe the game needs to continue to sustain the interest it generated before the coronavirus outbreak in March in order to attract sponsorship.
Yet another school of thought believes the current situation presents the GFA with a fine opportunity to end the current season and make way for its calendar to synchronise with the major leagues in Europe.
The mainstream leagues in Europe usually starts from August to May but Ghana football has not followed any particular pattern in the past due to litigation and other unforeseen reasons.
For instance, this season's Premier League commenced on December 28, 2019 due to a crisis which hit Ghana Football in 2018, leading to the appointment of a Normalisation Committee by FIFA prior to the last GFA elections on October 25, 2019.
As stakeholders wait anxiously for that crucial decision today, one out of three scenarios could play out. The FA top hierarchy can either decide to cancel or annul the season, abridge it or continue with it.
However, each of the options has its own consequences. Totally cancelling the Premier League, for instance, will bring to the fore the question of which clubs should represent Ghana in Africa next season, while abridging it could solve that problem but would put paid to the thorny issue of relegation and promotion.
Ironically, the third option, which is the continuation of the season, seems to have many adherents yet is the most burdensome since it comes with a huge cost in terms of meetings the various COVID-19 protocols.Also, aside the fact that it's still unknown as to when President Akufo-Addo would ease the restriction on contact sports like soccer in the country, the GFA faces the challenge of meeting CAF's deadline by submitting the names of Ghana's representatives to Africa.
In case of cancellation of the Premier League today, the FA will have no choice than to fall on last season's representatives - Asante Kotoko and Ashantigold - for the CAF Champions League and CAF Conferation Cup respectively per its regulations, while an abridgement will see the top two clubs on the league table currently, Aduana Stars and Berekum Chelsea, going to Africa.
Source: Daily Graphic
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