Division one clubs to pay GH₵ 30K as officiating fees for next season – Owoahene Acheampong hints

Division One League Board Chairman Owoahene Acheampong has hinted that Division one clubs will pay GH₵ 30,000 as officiating fees for the up-coming 2017/18 season.

He explained that the GN Bank sponsorship for the Division league one expired at the close of the 2016/17 season, and have requested for renewal, and till the contract is renewed, the clubs have to pay for officiating.

He gave the hint when speaking in an interview with Otec FM’s Royal Sports’ producer Smauel Mensah on the preparation made by the Board for the upcoming season.

“The GN Bank sponsorship for the Division one has expired, we have written to them requesting for renewal but we have not heard from them so we don’t know whether they are going to sponsor the league again or not. If they are not going to sponsor again, then each club will have to pay GH₵30,000 as officiating fee for the season” Mr. Acheampong said.

He said the board is engaging the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to assist the clubs because most of the clubs are financially challenged to pay such huge amount.

“We are brain-storming with the GFA to seek for help from the government because the clubs that are playing for the Division one are ‘broke’ and it will be very hard for them to pay such an amount. We want the FA to solicit assistance from Sports Ministry to lessen the burden of these poor clubs,” he noted.

The Division one clubs were supposed to pay GH₵ 28.000 last season but the sponsorship catered for GH₵ 19,600 and the clubs only paid GH₵ 8,400.

“I believe the Government needs to help the Division one clubs because if you go to Nigeria, the government pays for all the staffs and the technical staffs of the clubs, they build stadiums for them so the government must do same to save the football in the country,” he added.

Source: otecfmghana.com/Dominic Owusu-ansah