GFA’s Sannie Daara wants government to employ Ghana League players into Police, Fire Service

The communications Director of the Ghana Football Association, Ibrahim Sannie Daara has suggested to the Government of Ghana to consider recruiting players of the Ghana Premier League into Police, Fire Service, Immigration and other public services departments.
According to the Deputy General Secretary of the football governing body, this would be one of the best ways in curbing the mass player exodus from the Ghanaian game into other exotic destinations.
The Ghana Premier League has been widely chastised for lacking attractiveness, particularly in the quality of play and players, and this has been largely attributed to the inability of clubs to retain their remarkable performers for longer seasons.
This has generated growing concerns about the increasing spate of player movements from the country’s shores for greener pasture, rendering the league local with half-baked talents.
Many football fans, as well as top football figures, including Black Stars assistant coach Ibrahim Tanko, in bemoaning the practice, have put forth suggestions such as clubs sponsorship and improved player remunerations in helping address the canker.
But Sanni Daara, the former BBC Sports journalist believes otherwise.
In an interview with Kumasi-based Adeyhe FM, he however suggested that, one of the best ways to reverse the mass player exodus, is for government to employ players of various clubs into the public sector.
This he believes will improve player’s earnings and ensure their stay in the country.
“Stopping players from moving from the league will be a very difficult to do because right now as you work here, you wouldn’t reject an offer from Aljazeera or BBC”,
“What we need to do to ensure our players stay for a longer time is to improve the salaries of our players. The remuneration should be attractive to keep them stay here. If it happens like that, countries like Tanzania, Zambia, Somalia will not come calling our players and even if they call, the players will not be motivated to move”
“Imagine if we pay a Ghana player like $1000, do you think he will wake up and jump to Vietnam?. Ghana is good, but all these as a result of poverty. Now players are moving to Mauritania, and even war-torn Somalia”
“If players stay here and are sure of better conditions that can help them marry, buy a car or even build a house, then they can stay longer”,
“That is why I put forth this idea that if players playing for Kotoko or Hearts or Olympics are also employed by the government into police, fire service or any other sector. Once you get paid from your club, the government also adds up and this will be enough for you”.
“If you retire from football, then you can be in the police and sit at the barrier and direct traffic and even after retirement from the service, government will pay you and so you won’t be in a hurry to leave”,
“The GFA will try to engage the Ministry of Interior to consider recruiting say ten footballers from Kotoko into Kotoko. After returning from training in the morning, they can dress and go to the Police station”,
“This will not push them into Tanzania or Somalia etc and these are some of the ideas we are putting up”, He added.
In 2015, Daara called on the Parliament of Ghana to pass a law to prevent Ghanaian free-to-air television stations from showing live foreign league matches in the country in order to improve Ghana League audience base.
sportsobama.com