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24.12.2015 Sports News

Turmoil in Ghana football not peculiar, bigger problems confront several African nations

By ghanasoccernet.com
Turmoil in Ghana football not peculiar, bigger problems confront several African nations
24.12.2015 LISTEN


The myriad of problems confronting Ghana football is not peculiar with mounting challenges crippling several top-flight leagues across the African continent.

Critics have been quick to pinpoint the delay start of the 2016/17 season as a sign of the perceived deteriorating nature of the Ghanaian top-flight.

The Ghana FA has come under lots of flak, with a tiny minority of the Ghanaian media launching stinging criticism targeted at the administration of Kwesi Nyantakyi.

But it has now emerged that the problems confronting Ghana football is not peculiar with several countries in Africa being rocked by perhaps bigger and mounting challenges which has stifled the growth of the game on the continent.

Ghanaian journalist Nuhu Adams has cataloged myriad of problems that have rocked several top-flight leagues across the country.

Egypt in turmoil
Egyptian football has been rocked by crowd trouble for five years, leading to a ban on spectators attending matches. The North African country has been afflicted by persistent troubles over the years which has affected the smooth running of the game in that country.

Egypt has failed to suppress its own jihadist insurgency in the remote Sinai that has also sparked a number of attacks in Cairo and other cities.

The insurgency has been fuelled by the military's brutal tactics as well as years of social and economic neglect of the Bedouin population in the north of the peninsula.

Sponsorless Congolese league
Congo are without a league sponsor for two years running amid a serious financial crisis which has hit the country.

Their inability to attract sponsorship has affected the running of the game in the Central African nation.

Lack of quality South African players.
Despite their huge infrastructure and resources, South African feel their players lack quality as a result of their failure to land big deals abroad.

South African fans have accused the players of lacking the in-depth to secure mega moves abroad despite their huge media pressence.

Player exodus hits Sub Saharan African nations.

Countries in the Sub Saharan including Ghana, South Africa, DR Congo, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola and Uganda amongst others have been hit by excessive player exodus.

The talent-drain has been largely attributed to the weighty pay packet of foreign clubs as local clubs continue to struggle financially.

Chaotic Libya
Libya have been unable to organise a proper league for more than two-years due to unrest.

The North African country was stripped of the hosting right for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations due to the civil unrest which has hit the country since the overthrow and assassination of late leader Muammar Al-Gaddafi in 2011.

Togo frustrated
Togo's footballers are in limbo, with no end in sight to a suspension of league competitions and fears growing about the impact of the 11-month suspension on the national side.

No ball has been kicked in the country's top two domestic leagues for nearly a year, leaving the 2014-15 season unfinished after deadlines for the resumption of fixtures were missed.

The crisis shows no sign of ending, which is pushing players, coaches and supporters towards small local tournaments.

Benin in Limbo
Clubs in Benin are demanding compensation from the country's sports ministry before playing in the league.

The stand-off has led to the postponement of the country's top-flight and lower sides.

Uganda fiasco
Uganda clubs are forced to pay money to stadium authorities and managers whenever their matches are beamed live on Azam TV, which incidentally happens to be the lead sponsor, according to reports.

Uncertainty hangs over Sudan
The situation is worse in Sudan where football authorities have been unable to declare a winner, months after the top-flight ended.

Al Hilal pulled out of the league after their arch-rivals Al Merreikh were awarded points which aided the side to overtake them on the table.

The stand-off has led to massive confusion in the Sudanese top-flight with no end in sight to the mounting problems.

Liberia delay league start
The Liberia Football Association has delayed the start of the 2015/2016 due to litigation.

The league should have started on December 19, but the local football house says it cannot begin the league until they settle several issues relating to the league.

According to the LFA, the delay is due to ongoing LFA Appeal Board hearings into complaints filed by a group of disqualified clubs.

English Premier League fear hits Sierra Leone

The Sierra Leone FA has been forced to reschedule their Premier League games for Wednesdays and Fridays to swerve the English Premier League.

Kenyan football on the rocks
Protracted infighting between football officials led to two parallel leagues, with only government intervention to disband the national federation ending the row.

Kenyan football has faced chaotic rivalries in its administration with the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), the national organising body, and the rival Kenya Premier League (KPL)  clashing over plans to expand the league from 16 to 18 teams.

It took the intervention of Ghana FA boss Kwesi Nyantakyi to resolve the impasse.

Ghana football has been affected by the delay start of the league due to court issues involving several clubs.

There are serious financial and infrastructural problems which have affected top-flight sides on the continent and not peculiar to a specific country.

By Patrick Akoto, follow on twitter @Patakoto1

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