Bail us out, GFA or...
The President of New Edubiase United, Abdul Salam Yakubu, has made a passionate call on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to bail out premier league clubs with seed money as the FA seeks sponsorship for the 2015/16 league season.
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He fears most clubs are already financially distressed because of the delayed start of the league and could reach a point where they may be unable to continue, and even contemplate withdrawing from the competition.
The New Edubiase boss told the Graphic Sports that the FA could support the clubs with money from the TV rights deal with pay TV channel, SuperSport, to reduce the financial challenge being experienced by the clubs.
Mr Yakubu bemoaned the withdrawal of the league’s headline sponsor, First Capital Plus Bank (now Capital Bank), which he said had impacted negatively on participating clubs who were already saddled with huge financial burdens even before the commencement of the Premier League season last Saturday.
“Even before the league started, we were finding it difficult to pay the salaries of our players. Now, we don’t have to pay salaries alone, but also have to pay for transportation, feeding and winning bonuses for our players. That is why the FA has to loan us some money to enable us run the clubs smoothly and effectively as the league continues,” he noted.
As bankroller of the club, Mr Yakubu believes that the absence of financial assistance for club owners could be a threat to the league.
“As the president of New Edubiase, the financial burden of the club is my sole responsibility. So, in case I run out of money midway into the league, and my vice-president, Carl Wilson, is unable to support me financially, what happens?” he questioned.
New Edubiase, who lost the opening week clash 0-1 to Hearts of Oak Accra, play host to Ebusua Dwarfs at the Len Clay Stadium on Sunday.
