Mr. Kurt Okraku, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) says football fans who want to access this season’s games will have to be vaccinated to ensure safety at all our stadiums amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
He said this at the 27th Ordinary Session Congress of the GFA which was held on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, at the Ghanaman Soccer of Excellence ahead of the new football season.
Mr. Kurt Okraku announced that the 25% percentage of fans allowed to enter the stadium would be maintained for the season but are still in talks with the government for an increase in percentage.
“As we get ready for the new season, it is so important we get ourselves ready for the demands of the new season. We are engaging the government to ensure that we have more fans accessing our games but one of the key requirements would be the need for all of us to ensure that we are vaccinated to be able to access football.
“So it means all our players and staff would be vaccinated and all football fans who watch our games live at the football stadium must prove that they have received the vaccination,” he said.
Mr. Okraku revealed that the association had held talks with Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia over tax reliefs and bonds for companies intended to sponsor the sporting industry so as to encourage them to invest in football.
He said the GFA has urged the government for a reduction of 17.5 VAT to enable the clubs to have more revenue for their day-to-day activities and also support clubs teams who participate in various CAF competitions.
He lauded the government for investing in football pitches around the country but advocated for an astroturf per district.
He added that the GFA was streamlining policies to ensure that the GPL was autonomously managed in coming years and also institute an 18-team National Division One League.
“We have big lessons in the year gone by and these lessons we have all learned will help us going into the new season. It is important for us to understand what football stands for thus bringing to our homes entertainment and brings us together.
“Going into the new season it is very important for us to be honest with each other. Happenings towards the latter stages of last season should be a thing of the past where people took the laws into their own hands,” he said.
The Ghana Premier League starts on Friday, October 29, 2021 with newbies Accra Lions facing off against Elmina Sharks at the Accra Sports Stadium.
