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21.03.2006 Football News

GFA registers logo and braces up for pirates

21.03.2006 LISTEN
By GNA

Accra, March 21, GNA - The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has applied to the Registrars General Department to legalise its logo to grant the Association the sole right in its quest to clamp down on pirates. The FA put in its application last week and is expecting a reply from the Department in the next four weeks after which the Association will begin the fight against the pirates.

Kwasi Nyantakie, President of the Association told the GNA Sports that "we have applied for the registration of our logo to enable us have the legal right to prosecute the cheats". The issue of illegal merchandising remains a huge battle for sports authorities in the country. Individuals have hijacked the sale of paraphernalia's of the national colours and clubs where proceeds head for private pockets. The FA in recent times has come under huge criticism from various quarters which argue that, the Federation had done little to oust the practice of pirates using it's logos for their personal gains.

The President said "the only way we can obtain the power to halt this unfortunate practise is for the registration to pass through". But the GNA Sports can confirm that the registration provides the FA limited power of just stopping the pirates from displaying it's logos on the items as the right to completely eradicate the entire practice does not confine in the association's jurisdiction. Nyantakyie said "We do not have the right to stop the sale of Puma products since our sponsors have an agent in Ghana responsible for the sale of their replica items"

The sale of the jerseys of the senior national team, the Black Stars has fast established itself as a lucrative business after Ghana sealed her qualification to her maiden Mundial appearance last October. Items bearing influential names as Chelsea's Michael Essien, skipper Stephen Appiah, Samuel Osei Kuffour and Sulley Ali Muntari remain a sell out across the length and breath of the country. Even though Puma, the kit sponsors of the Stars are yet to release their replica jerseys and other paraphernalia's as said in their agreement with the GFA, prototypes of their jerseys can easily be located from the streets to the market places.

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