AshantiGold left back, Eric Donkor wants the suspended Ghana football season canceled.
“I think the best way is the cancelation of the league,” Donkor tells Joy Sports. “I have heard Deputy Minister [Perry Okudzeto] talk about what would be involved in testing players every week. He said we would need about GHS 60,000 to test players every week.”
“Are our clubs willing to spend that kind of money to test players when there is no alternative ways of making money? Even if they are willing, do they have the finances? Because per what the Deputy Minister said, it is very expensive, and the best option for me, is to cancel it.”
Ghana’s football season was suspended mid-March after the country recorded its first two Covid-19 cases.
Since then, players have been left to train on their own, leaving uncertainties over their ability to keep being in shape.
The former Asante Kotoko winger believes staying at home affects their form.
“For me, I believe in training,” Donkor continued, adding “training sessions and key matches are important for the development of a footballer that’s why we have pre-season before the start of every season. It is meant to keep us in shape.”
“So I believe in consistent training, but at this point, we are all at home. How long would it take us to continue to be at home, no one knows. It is important for the government and the FA who are in charge of the game to come out with the best decision for football,” he admonished.
In other jurisdictions, efforts are being made for the resumption of football after nearly three months out. Donkor reckons, this move appears impossible in Ghana because of the indiscipline nature of footballers.
“I have read a lot about the Bundesliga, La Liga, Italia Serie A and now, the EPL; I have read the measures they have put in place, but how disciplined are we as footballers to abide by those regulations or policies here.
“We heard how a coach broke the lockdown rules and was punished, can we punish a coach or a player if he violates the policies in place. We need to be certain about the discipline of everyone before we make a decision on whether to continue or cancel the league.”
The Covid-19 pandemic might have been a serious one that got the AshGold man frustrated, but he has found a positive spin to it.
“It is a serious pandemic and as a footballer, this has definitely affected our ambitions for the season.
“It’s been about two or three months without football and that is disturbing. The positive side of it is that, I have life, I have spent more time with my family, but my profession is football and without it, I am really disturbed about the situation.”
The GFA Executive Council will meet on June 30 to decide the future of the season.
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