Former Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Ibrahim Sannie Daara, believes that the proposal for an autonomous league is unrealistic.
The call for independent league management came after the tragic death of Francis Frimpong during the Matchday 19 fixture between Nsoatreman FC and Asante Kotoko at Nana Kronmansah Park.
In response, both Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak issued a joint statement urging the Ghana Football Association to establish an autonomous league managed by an independent body as part of wider reform proposals.
However, Daara, now a Senior Media Officer with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), argues that Ghana currently lacks the necessary infrastructure to support an autonomous league.
“I don’t think the autonomous league is needed at this time because it is not easy. Before it is implemented, you would need CEOs, marketing, sponsorship, and television rights, and at the moment, we don’t have these things in place. If we look at the Premier League and South Africa, it is not easy for them, and so in our case, I don’t think the autonomous league is realistic,” he told Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show.
He suggests that the focus should instead be on strengthening the basics of the current system, which will gradually lead to improvements in the league.
“We should rather focus on the basics and build from there, which will improve the league.”
Before the 2019 GFA Elections, Kurt Okraku had promised that the Ghana Premier League would eventually be run by an autonomous body.