Assist clubs in Africa: FA appeals to Govt
The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, has urged the government to emulate its Francophone counterparts by offering financial support to clubs which represent the nation in the CAF inter-club scompetitions.
Ghana will be represented by Ashgold and Medeama SC in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, and, according to Mr Nyantakyi, both clubs would need not just the support of the GFA but also the government if they are to cough-up in excess of $800,000 required to finance their respective campaigns.
"We have been assisting our clubs in our own small way, it has always been a small financial support that has been our widows mite but we are not going to relent on that. We will continue to support our clubs," Mr Nyantakyi told journalists last Thursday at a press soiree held at the forecourt of the GFA headquarters in Accra.
He added: "Apart from all the things that we do for them we think that participating in Africa is a very expensive venture. Any club that goes into Africa will spend, if you get to the money zone you will spend not less than $700,000 to $800,000 and so it is a very expensive venture and the government must help the clubs.
"In most countries, especially in Francophone Africa, the costs are borne by the governments and when they participate they are doing it on behalf of Ghana.
"When Ashgold appear in Morocco or Medeama appear in Liberia it is Ghana, they will say the Ghana team. Many people will not even remember the name of the club. So, when they are representing in Africa it is a cause that we must all support as a national cause and not a club cause or a GFA cause".
He also assured that both clubs would be given a donation of at least $30,000 by the GFA ahead of the start of their respective campaigns.
"At least, I can assure that we will not go below that, as to whether it will go beyond that is another matter altogether there is no depreciation".
Ashgold host Mouloudia Olympique de Béjaïa in the first leg of their preliminary round CAF Champions League tie between February 12-14 at the Len Clay Stadium, while Medeama await the winner of the first round Confederation Cup meeting between Al-Ittihad Tripoli and AS SONIDEP.
