Former Asante Kotoko forward, Alhassan Mohammed Bukari has revealed that most Ghanaian clubs do not qualify to compete in the Ghana Premier League.
Bukari highlighted issues plaguing Ghanaian football, urges stricter regulations for clubs.
In an exclusive interview with Ghanasportspage.com, former Asante Kotoko forward Mohammed Alhassan Bukari didn’t hold back on his assessment of the state of football in Ghana, stressing that the majority of clubs lack the qualifications to compete in the Ghana Premier League.
Reflecting on the evolution of football consumption, Alhassan emphasized the growing accessibility of foreign leagues, attributing dwindling stadium attendance to the stark contrast between the quality of play in the GPL and leagues like Laliga and the English Premier League. He pointed out various shortcomings, from poor pitches and stadium conditions to the financial instability of clubs, suggesting that these factors contribute to the league’s lack of allure.
“Back then, foreign leagues were not accessible for people to patronize, DSTV, Satellite weren’t popular then but they have (fans) the chance today to watch every match so if they come to the stadium and they don’t see what they see from the foreign leagues, they won’t bother themselves coming to the stadium anymore to pay money and watch,” he told Ghanasportspage.com.
“Our football isn’t attractive. The Ghana league is competing with Laliga, Premier League, German Bundesliga so what the fans are watching on their TVs, they won’t bother themselves coming to watch the GPL. Poor pitches, poor stadia, the quality of the players and many factors. It’s not as if those abroad are better footballers than us but the conditions around their game”
Alhassan’s concerns extend beyond the playing field, as he calls for stringent measures from the club licensing board to ensure financial stability and player welfare. He advocates for mandatory financial transparency, proposing that clubs deposit players’ salaries into the FA’s accounts to guarantee timely payments. However, he acknowledges the resistance to such reforms, attributing it to conflicts of interest within the FA.
“Recently the Tamale Stadium has been closed down due to the poor nature of the facility so for our football, we have so much rooms for improvement. There are many things to improve, the pitches, players, the teams themselves are not worthy of Premier League teams, they don’t have the facilities, the money. The clubs are just playing for playing sake, they are just playing with their fans’ hearts. They can’t even pay their players”
“The club licensing board should set some laws for the clubs, their pitches, how is your finances, how much is in your account, can it run your team for the season? All these should be done before the season starts. Every club must send players’ salaries to the FA’s accounts, not necessarily paying them with it but anytime you falter, the FA pays them with what they have in their account so if you don’t have that money to be deposited into that FA’s account then that means you don’t have the means to play in the league so you’d be demoted and look for a first division club that have the financial muscles to replace you”
With only a handful of clubs capable of meeting basic financial obligations, Alhassan raises important questions about the sustainability and integrity of Ghanaian football, urging stakeholders to address these issues before they further jeopardize the sport’s future.
“These things are not done because most of the people at the FA own clubs and they know these strict laws will definitely go against them so they won’t even implement it. Out of the 18 teams in the league, it’s only five or six of them that pay their players which brings worries on the players,” he ended.
Listen to Alhassan Mohammed during an interview with Sir Martin
