Godwin Attram, the founder of the Attram De Visser Soccer Academy in Sowutuom and a member of Ghana’s FIFA U-17 World Championship runner-up team in 1997, has shared his thoughts on the country’s player exodus.
The issue of player exodus in Ghana has been extensively discussed, and some solutions have been offered to the national football authorities.
An assertive statement was made by Richard Osei Agyemang, a former defender for Asante Kotoko and Ashanti Gold FC, after joining an Indian team.
Godwin Attram, a former player and stop-gap coach for Accra Great Olympics, is the next football personality to speak on player exodus.
In an interview with Ernest Brew Smith’s YouTube channel, the former Accra Great Olympics player advises players who are leaving Ghana to play abroad to put some effort into their chosen careers and not to joke around because doing so will get them into trouble.
He told Ernest Brew Smith of Peace FM fame, “It will not stop because, as a player, at the end of your career, you need money. And you’ll want to go wherever there’s money to get some of the football you’re playing; you know how your strength is fading.”
Godwin Attram cited two African countries that have recently injected cash into their football, explaining, “Zambia and Ethiopia now push money into football; it is not a problem for a player to go to those places; you are just playing football. Football has changed structures, and facilities are in very remote areas now. If you want to go there and play, it is not a problem.”
Godwin Attram advised players who had travelled outside of Ghana to play football in search of greener pastures.
Attram offered suggestions to players abroad: “Me, I don’t blame any player for going to play in those areas; they want to play football to make their career; they also have families and so many things to do. The only thing I tell them is, when you go over there, make up your mind that you are going to play football very well and not joke around and then get sacked.”
