Covid-19: Club CEOs divided over cancellation of GPL

There have been talks about the cancellation of the nation’s top-flight domestic league in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Already, some leagues in Europe have been cancelled while others have delayed a decision on theirs.

Some club officials of Ghana shared their views on the development.

“Should the Ghana Premier League be scrapped? Personally, I think yes because we still have 19 games to go and I don’t know when this thing is going to be over,” CEO of Liberty Professionals Linda Ansong told TV3 sports on Wednesday.

“Are we going to wait till August, September and if we don’t resume when are we going to start our next season,” Linda told TV3 Sports.

“These are all questions that are going to come up during the meeting and I believe we would have answers to that will be good for everybody.”

The main reason to cancel the season would be if the safety of players and fans cannot be guaranteed.

However, going ahead with the league will also put Ghana Premier League on the pedestal as the most watched league as some other African countries like Kenya have started cancelling their league.

Hearts of CEO Fredrick Moore thinks otherwise.

“I think it will be pre-mature to do that because we don’t know a lot of things. For a start, we don’t know how the pandemic is going to pan out not just in Africa but the rest of the world.

“Our season has to converge with the rest of the world. If we scrap and we start the next season in August and then re-start in January, we will be out of the calendar. So it is not just about what is today, we need to look more as to what the plans are and have options.”

Sport in Africa ground to a standstill in March as the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the continent.

Among requirements, Dr Baba Adam, Head of Medical Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), mentions would be necessary for leagues to re-open are quick and accurate testing for all essential players and staff including referees.

“All those who will participate must be quarantined for a while. And mandatorily everybody must be tested, I mean the players, technical team, managers and referees and this is basic. It shouldn’t be once but twice or thrice.

“It will be challenging,” said Dr Baba Adams.

By Daniel Nana Kwame Yeboah|3news.com|Ghana

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