President John Dramani Mahama has criticised Ghanaian clubs for being too quick to sell promising players, warning that the trend is depleting the quality of the Ghana Premier League.
Mahama says the financial difficulties facing clubs have created a model where talented players are developed and sold as soon as they begin to attract interest, making it difficult for teams to build competitive squads over time.
He made the comments when Ghana Premier League champions Medeama SC, Nations FC and Women’s Premier League side Ampem Darkoa Ladies paid a courtesy call on him at the Presidency.
“The second issue is that we are too quick to sell our players,” Mahama said.
“As soon as a player begins to show promise, scouts take him away, mostly to Europe, and that depletes the quality of our local league.”
The President believes Ghana must find a way to retain its best young players for longer, allowing them to develop through domestic and international competition before making the move abroad.
“We must find a way to keep our talented players a little longer, give them opportunities in the national team, allow them to gain international experience, and then let them move abroad after they have matured,” he added.
Mahama also raised concerns about the standard of refereeing in the Ghana Premier League, describing officiating as another major problem affecting the competition.
“Unfortunately, refereeing is one of the things destroying our football,” he said.
“Sometimes people believe the matches are decided before they are even played, and that makes the league less competitive.”
He called on the Ghana Referees Association and the Ghana Football Association to work together to improve officiating standards and restore confidence among supporters.
“Every match must be fairly officiated so that whoever wins does so on merit. That is the only way to restore confidence in our football,” Mahama said.
The President also warned that concerns over officiating are affecting match attendance and, consequently, clubs’ gate revenues.
Mahama’s comments come amid wider concerns about the financial sustainability and competitiveness of the Ghana Premier League, with clubs continuing to rely heavily on player sales as a major source of income.
