The Chief Executive Officer of Bibiani Gold Stars, Mr. Akwasi Adu, has provided several notifications that have caused delays of the autonomous league in Ghana.
Bibiani Gold Stars jersey for the 2021/22 season.
The current administration at the Ghana Football Association has indicated that the autonomy of the Ghana Premier League has been their top priority.
At the end of the 2021–2022 league season, the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) Executive Council approved the implementation of an autonomous Premier League beginning the 2023–24 season instead of the 2022–23 season.
The discussion about creating an autonomous league was sparked by a tragic incident at Nana Amoah Konamansah Park, where a devoted supporter was stabbed to death. This event led Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak to call for the establishment of an independent league.
Akwasi Adu at the inaugural meeting of the Autonomous League Committee.
The Ghana Football Association has held a series of meetings with club administrators to discuss the implementation of the autonomous league, which is dominated by the country’s two great clubs, Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak.
Mr. Akwasi Adu, one of Bibiani Gold Stars’ discerning club administrators, spoke with Eugene Quame Anane on Pramaso last Wednesday night, shedding more light on the Ghana Premier League’s delays in being managed by an independent body separate from the Association.
“I was a member of the committee that was established to oversee the implementation of the autonomous league. I remember Nana Yaw Amponsah at Kotoko during our inaugural meeting at the World Trade Centre in Accra. The meeting was chaired by Togbe Afede XIV,” Mr. Akwasi Adu revealed.
Kumasi Asante Kotoko vs Bibiani Gold Stars at Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
Mr. Adu clarified that the implementation of the autonomous league has been a burden for both the clubs and the Ghana Football Association as the governing body of football.
He indicated, “There were some technical issues at the implementation stage, technical issues like, how in the future the structure of the Division 1 League would be like, as to how to manage the low tiers divisions that will serve for promotion and demotion.”
Bibiani Gold Stars’ CEO stated unequivocally, “If we go autonomous, it implies that we play a National Division 1 League, and the issue of promotion and demotion to the Premier and Division 1 has been a hindrance.”
