The Chairman of Asante Kotoko’s Interim Management Committee (IMC), Nana Apinkra, has called on the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, to take swift action in implementing the autonomous Ghana Premier League (GPL) policy.
Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, in a joint reform proposal submitted to the Ghana Football Association (GFA), have advocated for the independence of the league, highlighting the need for structural improvements.
During a meeting with the Sports Minister, Nana Apinkra emphasized the urgency of the matter.
“I will also use the opportunity to plead with you [Minister] to see to the autonomous league we mentioned in our proposal and help us expedite its implementation,” he said. “It should not be the conventional way of writing press releases that after two or three months, we return to our old ways.”
In addition to league reforms, Apinkra raised concerns about the financial burdens football clubs are facing, particularly regarding Value Added Tax (VAT) and other deductions.
“Another major challenge is the VAT and other deductions we face. The entertainment industry has a flat rate of 3%, but ours is still almost 18%,” he noted. “Before you finish, other deductions take away 40% because we use national stadiums, while other clubs use individual stadiums.”
The call for reforms comes at a critical time, following the tragic stabbing of a well-known Asante Kotoko supporter, “Nana Pooley,” at Nsoatre, further intensifying concerns over governance and competitiveness in the GPL.