Arsenal Chairman Propose Zonal League For 2005

Following the keenly contested and the successful organization of the novelty League in 2004, the chairman of Berekum Arsenal, Alhaji Moro Yakubu has proposed to the Executive Council of Ghana Football Association to once again, divide the teams into two zones for the 2005 football season.

In an exclusive interview with Sunyani based SPACE FM, the outspoken chairman explained that the proposal, if adopted by the authorities would go a long way to reduce the financial burden on the clubs.

Buttressing his stance, he said Arsenal was able to cut down expenses last year as the team spent less on transportation and hotel bills due to proximity of the clubs in the Zone. "The headache of traveling to Accra, Kpando, Cape Coast, Sekondi etc. and the associated cost would be a thing of the past", he said.

Arguing out his case, he added that the tendency of a club playing it soft to favour another club would be minimized drastically if not removed completely. He cited a case in Zone B in the 2004 season when until the last matches no one knew who was going on relegation. He mentioned Cote d'Ivoire and Cameroun as some countries where this system has been adopted and proved successful over the years.

On the preparation of Arsenal towards the 2005 season, he hinted that a lot has been done on the quite to revamp the team. "Having learnt from our previous experience of missing out from the GHALCA TOP 4 at the eleventh hour, we're assembling an all conquering side for this season", he stressed.

He however, charged on the FA and GHALCA to ensure that sponsorship sum due premiership clubs are made available to them before the commencement of the season, to ensure proper preparation for the clubs. He said the distribution of sponsorship sums among clubs in the middle of the season should be discouraged, as most clubs are compelled, under the circumstances, to solicit for loans, with their attendant high interest rates.