Gala off as sponsor backs down

Rosalind K. Amoh Sports News Jan - 25 - 2017 , 10:15

Even before the Premier League clubs members of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) would flex their muscles over honouring the re-introduced gala competition to usher in the new season, the competition has been cancelled for this season.

Yesterday at a hurriedly arranged meeting between the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Premier League clubs, it was announced that the new media right sponsors, StarTimes, had requested that the two-day event which was to take place this weekend in Kumasi, be called off.

Though the exact contents of the letter was not revealed by the vice president of the GFA, George Afriyie, who made the announcement, it is believed that the undercurrents of concerns raised by GHALCA and which had been played in the media gallery over the actual contract sum for the gala, as well as the inadequate publicity over the event, compelled the Chinese company which has signed a 10-year deal to have exclusive media rights to the GFA’s brands, to chicken out.

Most of the club representatives the Graphic Sports spoke to pleaded anonymity and agreed that, perhaps, the issues were over played in the media, and StarTimes, unsure of what the reaction would be decided to call off the gala considered an important pre season for the 16 participating clubs.

“It is unfortunate, but the decision and announcement have been made. Some of us were ready for this weekend, but as it is, we now have to look for alternative plans to prepare towards the February 4 kick off for the league,” one club official who had turned up at what he thought was a normal PLB meeting with his club colours, told the Graphic Sports.

Per the sponsorship package, an amount of $60,000 was slated for the gala, but last Monday, 12 Premier League clubs allegedly mandated GHALCA to pursue the issue as they claimed the original amount announced by the FA president was $100,000.

GHALCA had also sought to get the FA to make available the details of the contract signed with StarTimes.

According to the strategic partnership agreement, StarTimes acquires all media rights of the Ghana Premier League, the Gala, the National Division One League, the MTN FA Cup, the Ghana Women’s League and the Ghana Juvenile League for the next 10 years.