President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has instructed the Ministry of Youth and Sports to release an amount of 900,000 Ghana cedis as financial support to the 18 football clubs of the Ghana Premier League.
Each of the 18 football clubs is expected to receive a sum of 50,000 Cedis.
The money, which is the first tranche of payment to the clubs, is to enable them offset their expenses in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic that has adversely affected all sectors of the economy including the sporting clubs.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the financial support to the clubs has become necessary following a directive by the government for all matches of the league to be played behind closed doors.
“The President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has authorized the Ministry of Youth and Sports to release an amount of nine hundred thousand Ghana cedis (900,000) as first tranche of payment to support the 18 Premier League clubs to offset some of their expenses in the era of Covid-19 pandemic. Each Club is to receive an amount of fifty thousand Ghana cedis (50,000).
This has become necessary due to the directive by Government to all Premiere League matches to be played behind closed doors,” it stated.
The statement added “other clubs such as Division One, National Women’s League, CAF Champion’s League Representative and CAF Confederation Cup Representative will also receive some financial support from Government in due course.”
As part of measures to contain the spread of Coronavirus, the government placed a ban on all public gatherings including sporting activities. As a result, the activities of the Ghana Premier League and other sports sport competitions were put on hold.
The government subsequently lifted the ban paving way for the commencement of matches of the Ghana Premier League as well as well other sporting activities.
Matches of the premier league were to be played with limited number of spectators in attendance and under strict observance of the Covid-19 safety protocols.
However, the government rescinded the decision to allow for a limited number of spectators at the stadia during matches last month as result of a spike in the daily recorded cases of Covid-19 and ordered for all matches of the league to be played behind closed doors.
