President Akufo-Addo has charged the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) to do whatever it takes help develop the domestic football league.
From this, he believes the country can derive good players for the various national football teams;, the Black Starlets, Black Meteors and Black Stars including the womens teams.
This was when leadership of the GHALCA led by its Chairman, Cudjoe Fianoo called on him at the Jubilee House Thursday to present the trophy for tomorrow’s President’s cup match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko to him.
He has therefore asked all stakeholders in the country’s football fraternity to work hard to develop a strong domestic football league, pledging government’s decision to offer unrelenting support to any such endeavour.
“It is a strong vibrant league that will enable us to have a strong vibrant national side. So, all of us have to put our heads together to see the way forward as to how we can strengthen our domestic league”, he said.
“We are crying, complaining about no longer being a powerhouse in African football and not winning the cup and everything, I think it is a question of organization and organization begins with organizing a very strong domestic league”.
“People in this room plus the government side have to put our heads together to chat a good path for the future of the domestic league in Ghana” Akufo-Addo added.
The President has accepted to be at the stadium tomorrow to watch the game.
He is expected to kick the ball at 6pm to start the game and later present medals to both sides and the trophy to the winning team.
GHALCA Chairman, Cudjoe Fianoo said tomorrow’s game marks 20 years since the competition was first instituted during the President John Kufour era.
In celebration of this milestone, Mr Fianoo indicated that it is time to turn attention on the local league.
“We want to a national team of a blend of locals and those who are playing in the foreign leagues and the only way we can do that is to ensure that we get a lot of energy and resources into our local league” Mr Fianu said.
The Minister for Youth and Sports, and Member of Parliament, for Yagaba Kubori in the North East Region, Mustapha Ussif, led the delegation.
Other members of the delegation were Professor Peter Twumasi, Director-General of the National Sports Authority, and board chairman of the National Sports Authority, Seth Panwum.
The rest were the Director of Accra Hearts of Oaks, Alhaji Akanbi Brimah, CEO of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Nana Yaw Amponsah, and John Ansah, the vice chairman of GHLACA.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent