Sports
Slave wages,threat to the local game!
Years back – some three or more decades ago, domestic football was a sheer delight – drawing thousands to fill the stands on match days.
Quality abound – and even though the players performed their act on relatively pitiably despicable pitches, some tantalizing football freely oozed out from the feet, carving out pretty patterns even to the blind eye.
Those were days when most of the players remained on home soil, not really enthusiastic on joining the ‘exodus bandwagon’ to seek greener pastures.
However, with the Ghanaian economy hitting a slump, especially in the 1980s, players began to file away in droves in the ‘90s as clubs could no longer afford the allowances and salaries of the playing body.
The domestic league was now beginning to suffer from quality play – and by extension poor patronage as empty seats stared in faces of the scanty fans around.
The already harsh situation was made even worse by the fans’ affection for foreign football to the detriment of the local game. None can totally blame the fans who have continuously explained off their decision to quality football in the English, Spanish, German and other elite games in Europe.
Lack of marquee, quality players has also culminated in Ghanaian clubs failing to win laurels in continental football for a long time.
Indeed, the last time a Ghanaian side annexed an African trophy was in 2004 when Hearts of Oak upstaged sworn rivals and fellow compatriots Asante Kotoko to win the CAF Confederation Cup. Kotoko themselves have not tasted African glory since 1983 – some 38 years ago, when they beat Al Ahly of Egypt to lift the African Clubs Championship crown (now CAF Champions League) for the second time.
Year-in-year-out, our players leave their clubs in midstream to clubs in less-endowed football countries that could only pay a notch higher than what they were taking back home.
Some elite clubs in Ghana pay as low as GH¢700 to GH¢2,000 to their top stars who would not shilly-shally to fly out abroad at the slightest opportunity.
President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana [SWAG], Kwabena Yeboah, is not enthused about the wages of Ghanaian local players.
According to him, the base salary for Asante Kotoko player in the year 2021, for example, should be US$2,000 and not the range of GH¢1,000 to GH¢2,000.
In an interview with Accra-based Starr FM, the veteran broadcaster said the club needed to build the team and sustain the players for a period of five to six years and also attract players from outside the jurisdiction of Ghana, describing the salaries of the club’s players as ‘slave wages’ which must be improved.
“If you really want to attract the best material, you must pay very well. What we pay players right now in Ghana, for me in blunt language, are slave wages.
“You cannot pay a Kotoko player you want to make a mark in Africa, and consistently wins matches for you a GH¢1,000, GH¢2,000. It’s a joke. The least any Kotoko player deserves, especially the starting players, is US$2,000 because you have your players leaving for Benin, to other parts of Africa because they’ve been cajoled and lured by US$1,000 a month because they cannot receive that kind of money here; so they will definitely leave.
“If you want to compete, I’m saying that the starting base [salary] should be US$2,000 as you look to improving the amount. Until we start doing that, our players will continue to leave in numbers – and we’ll continue to mark time.”
The SWAG President’s assertion might sound unrealistic and impracticable to some club owners, but looking more intently, that is plain talk from the iconic broadcaster. Rather, he is being super realistic. Truth is that, things have changed and we cannot afford to do run affairs of our clubs the way we were doing some decades back.
Our local players have howled for far too long and it is high time club owners put their act together and see how best to plant some smiles on the faces of these actors as regards their remunerations and allowances.
Until that is done, expect our players to head off in droves – at the slightest opportunity – as they yearn for better living condition.
Title chasers Medeama SC will host Asante Kotoko in a top Ghana Premier League Matchday 29 fixture tomorrow at the TnA Stadium in Tarkwa.
A win will keep their title dreams alive while a draw or defeat will play into the hands of current leaders Bibiani Gold Stars.
But Medeama are determined to leverage their home advantage to secure all three points against the Kotoko side that is crestfallen after losing 2–1 to Samartex in their rescheduled fixture on Tuesday at home.
Both sides have engaged in cagey and high-stakes contests in recent times, with Kotoko holding a slight edge over the Mauve and Yellow. However, the current form of Medeama may prove to be a tall order for the visitors.
Today at the Nil Adjei Kraku II Sports Complex in Tema New Town, Hearts of Oak will hope to secure a second consecutive win when they face Vision FC.
Hearts are aiming to reignite their title charge after picking up all three points against Young Apostles last week, while Vision FC suffered a 2–0 defeat to Heart of Lions in Kpando.
Samartex FC will return to their fortress, the Nsenkyire Sports Arena, to welcome Berekum Chelsea.
At the Tuba Astro Turf, Dreams FC will hope to return to winning ways when they take on Eleven Wonders.
Elsewhere, Basake Holy Stars will travel to the Kwame Kyei Sports Complex to face 13th-placed Nations FC.
Sixth-placed Karela United will welcome Heart of Lions to the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale, with Bechem United FC set to have a rest day with their three points and three goals assured following the withdrawal of Hohoe United.
The year 2025 was one boxing stakeholders would look at with lots of regrets. Events in the sport within that period, to a large extent, eroded the gains chalked in recent times.
First, the death of a Nigerian boxer in a Ghanaian ring opened a canker of worms in the administration of the sport as officials in the corridors of power openly traded verbal tirades over competence and style of management. That left the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) broken and divided, leading to the resignation of its president, Mr Abraham Neequaye.
In his absence, a vice president, Roger Barnor, stepped into the saddle. With renewed energy and vigour, he managed to unite the rank and file of the sport as other stakeholders praised that effort.
But just when the GBA appeared to have seen some stability, it was hit by another thunderstorm – the death of another boxer, Ernest ‘Baubali’ Akushey. His death came 11 days after a fight. That marked the premature end to Barnor’s term as Vice President acting as the President.
In the view of the powers that be, the formation of an Interim Management Committee to govern the sport and lead reforms was the way to go. With the latest of about two extensions of their mandates, they are expected to complete their work in June, including an election of a new executive to run the sport.
Within this period, boxing ground to a halt. All pending events were put on hold, with a few promoters heavily affected due to investment made before the unexpected takeover.
But since the return of the sport, syndicates like Legacy Rise, Box Office Sports (BOS), Bishop Promotions, RBS and others have staged shows to keep the scene alive.
Two boxers have been at the forefront of this revival. Jonathan ‘Worldwide’ Tetteh and Seth ‘Freezy MacBones’ Gyimah led the revival with a historic clash that filled the University of Ghana Stadium.
Without doubt, they have filled the void created by Baubali’s departure. Though ‘Freezy MacBones,’ the overwhelming favourite, lost on the scorecards, the nature of the fight and ruling left doors open for a rematch to be staged at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
Last week, the two boxers again featured on a BOS, RBS promotion at the Laboma Beach, facing different opponents, and they all emerged victorious.
These two boxers are gradually becoming the new face of boxing in Ghana and that will bode well for the sport. In their last two appearances, they showed an ability to sell their fights and that was evident in the numbers in the stands on fight night. This is something that is lacking from other boxers and their management teams.
Globally, the sport has thrived with boxers of such charisma always featured on big bills. Others like Theophilus Allotey, aka Theo Lopez, Joseph ‘Jaguar’ Commey, Samuel Takyi and John Laryea are other boxers to hold the flag high for Ghana.
Boxing’s return has been stupendous, and the drivers of that success must be commended, not leaving out ‘Worldwide’ and Freezy MacBones for keeping the flames of the sport alive.
By Andrew Nortey
