ARTICLE: KOTOKO, EDUBIASE NEEDS SUPPORT

In no time Kumasi Asante Kotoko and New Edubiase have an opportunity to bring back fame to Ghana football as they step into the shoes of Berekum Chelsea to compete in the next year CAF Champions and Confederation leagues respectively following the parings release by CAF a few days ago.

These competitions have been there for the best teams in all the countries on the basis of performance and slot allocations to compete for a continental wear.

For all you know competitions of such nature are pivoted on huge sums of money by teams across the continent as a recipe for motivation to achieve a feat.

The last time Ghana won a club championship in Africa, was back in the days of Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio who led Accra Hearts of Oak to defeat Esperance of Tunisia 5 – 2 on aggregate to lift the champions league in 2000, clinched the super cup and later in the year 2004 earned the CAF Confederation Cup defeating arch rival Kumasi Asante Kotoko 8-7 on penalties at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

Ever since then the story has been different until just recently Berekum Chelsea proved that all is not lost when they got to the group stage of the CAF champions league only to have the dreams shattered off by likes current champions Al Ahly of Egypt and twice champions TP Mazembe of DR Congo.

Now the battle has been handed over to Kotoko and Edubiase and they ought to be given a financial boost from the Government through the Ghana Football Association  for their campaign than to allow them hinge on the teeming supporters’ stadium attendance money and loans from financial institutions.

In any case how many fans habitually visit the stadium to watch their teams play matches? Just take a half look at the ongoing GLO premiership, supporters’ attendance to the various stadiums have been nothing to write home about hence a financial handicap for the teams. So what is the way forward?

Let us revisit the total proposed budget for the Black Stars ahead of the 2013 AFCON in South Africa. In the budget the US$70, 000 allocated to media of which has been quashed off by the government should be channeled into the consolidated fund to help not only these teams but other subsequent representatives to defray the cost incurred during their campaign.

In that some document, US$22, 000 requested as price for the third place for the national team in next year tournament in South Africa must also be added to the fund to assist any team who will represent the country at any given point.

When this is done it could rekindle the spirits of the teams to strive fro the ultimate for Ghana but such step should not scare supports of the various clubs from going to the stadium because they must commit to memory that without them  football in totality will never be achieved.

And as a matter of national interest when will the government through the Ghana Football Administration come out with the accepted budget for African Cup of Nations (AFCON) showpiece in South Africa?

By Ebenezer Zor (ezee)