Sports
A second look at FA’s U-19 directive
Kurt Okraku
A new season of football festival will commence this weekend with high expectation from fans and stakeholders.
And when it does, one of the things to look out for would be the implementation of a directive at the recent 30th Extraordinary Congress of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) held at Prampram.
By the directive, clubs from the Premier League division through the Division One League (DOL) to Division 2 were mandated to include a number of U-19 players in their match day squads.
This may not be something new for the respective clubs. It has been captured in their discussions but without any clear commitment to it, the FA deemed it necessary to use the Congress platform in order to force it down the throats of the clubs.
Surprisingly, it appears the clubs at the moment have no reservations about the directive to gently compel them to include U-19 players in their match day squads.
It is either the clubs have not given it a considerable thought or would not want to put a dent on the atmosphere at the Prampram Congress which looked more like a carnival or festival for the ‘football people’ as they enjoy the feeling with the facelift of the facilities there.
Of course, every lover of football would applaud such an initiative that aims to strengthen football at the grassroots and serve as a bedrock for the teams at the top tier.
But with every major decision, there are bound to be a few nonconformist ideas not to scupper the entire but take a deeper look and ponder over the long term effects.
Under the new rules announced by FA President, Kurt Okraku, Premier League clubs will be required to include a minimum of four U-19 players in their match day squads, with at least two of them starting the game.
Division One League (DOL) clubs would be required to include six U-19 players in their match day squads, with three of these young players starting each game.
For Division Two clubs, the mandate is even more extensive. These clubs must include eight U-19 players in their match day squads, with four of them starting the game.
This measure is designed to accelerate the development of young players at the grassroots level, ensuring that they are ready for the demands of higher-level football as they progress in their careers.
President Simeon-Okraku explained that the directive was part of a broader strategy to enhance the overall quality of football in Ghana by focusing on youth development.
What the FA must also consider is what will become of juvenile leagues which naturally provides the platform for U-19s considering the numbers that would be consumed by clubs at the top three divisions.
In my view, the FA would have delivered a better arrangement by announcing a recompense for clubs that featured such players at the end of the season rather than forcing such arrangement on the clubs, some of who I suspect hide behind the directive to justify their poor performance.
In the spirit of competition, clubs should be allowed to field the very best in their fold and not be forced to drop top players to make space for U-19s just to make the FA happy.
Selection into match day squad should be on merit but by the Okraku directive, the hands of clubs are being forced to satisfy a particular rule.
It looks even more serious with the DOL and DTL levels where they have to start three and four U-19s, respectively. At best, it should be okay to have a few in their squads but issues about starting must either be justified or earned because the rule as it is brings memories from George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
By Andrew Nortey
The battle for supremacy in the Ghana Premier League will continue this weekend with both Medeama SC and Bibiani Gold Stars continuing their close battle for the title.
Defending champions, Bibiani Gold Stars, are breathing down heavily on the neck of the leaders Medeama SC as they aim to hunt down the Premier League leaders from the top.
Fresh from their 2-1 home victory over in-form Hearts of Oak, which saw them cut the lead at the top to just one, Gold Stars will travel to the Bono Region, precisely the Wenchi Sports Complex, to test their mettle against relegation candidate, Young Apostles.
Gold Stars are on a four-game winning streak, having blown apart Swedru All Blacks, Basake Holy Stars, Heart of Lions and Hearts of Oak, and are gunning to add Apostles to their list of casualties tomorrow.
Apostles, the last but one team on the log, have vowed to escape the drop, indicating their resolve to wrest a point or more in the game.
Medeama SC returns to their fortress, the TnA Stadium, to host Hohoe United in a tricky tie.
Head coach of Medeama SC, Tanko Ibrahim, believes they are still on course to win the title despite the threat from Gold Stars.
Vision FC will look to continue their strong home form when they welcome relegation-threatened Berekum Chelsea to the Nii Adjei Kraku Sports Complex in Tema New Town today with the Nsenkyire Sports Arena in Samreboi, also hosting the Samartex FC versus Dreams FC clash today.
In other games, the University of Ghana Stadium will play host to the Hearts of Oak versus Basake Holy Stars game; Asante Kotoko will trek to the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale to face Karela United FC; Aduana FC will seek to add to the woes of bottom club, Eleven Wonders, at the Nana Agyemang Badu I Park with Heart of Lions seeking a return to winning ways when they host Swedru All Blacks at the Kpando Stadium.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
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The battle for supremacy in the Ghana Premier League will continue this weekend with both Medeama SC and Bibiani Gold Stars maintaining their close contest for the title.
Defending champions, Bibiani Gold Stars, are breathing down heavily on the leaders Medeama SC as they aim to hunt down the Premier League leaders from the top.
Fresh from their 2-1 home victory over in-form Hearts of Oak, which saw them cut the lead at the top to just one point, Gold Stars will travel to the Bono Region, precisely the Wenchi Sports Complex, to test their mettle against relegation candidates, Young Apostles.
Gold Stars are on a four-game winning streak, having defeated Swedru All Blacks, Basake Holy Stars, Heart of Lions, and Hearts of Oak. They are gunning to add Apostles to their list of casualties tomorrow.
Apostles, the second-last team on the log, have vowed to escape the drop, indicating their resolve to wrest a point or more in the game.
Medeama SC returns to their fortress, the TnA Stadium, to host Hohoe United in what promises to be a tricky tie. Head coach Tanko Ibrahim believes they are still on course to win the title despite the threat from Gold Stars.
Other Premier League Fixtures:
- Vision FC will look to continue their strong home form when they welcome relegation-threatened Berekum Chelsea to the Nii Adjei Kraku Sports Complex in Tema New Town.
- The Nsenkyire Sports Arena in Samreboi will host the Samartex FC vs Dreams FC clash.
- University of Ghana Stadium will play host to Hearts of Oak vs Basake Holy Stars.
- Asante Kotoko will trek to the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale to face Karela United FC.
- Aduana FC will seek to add to the woes of bottom club Eleven Wonders at the Nana Agyemang Badu I Park.
- Heart of Lions will aim for a return to winning ways when they host Swedru All Blacks at the Kpando Stadium.
- By Raymond Ackumey
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