US$43,000 for GhPL winner is fair, says Harrison Addo
The Ghana Premier League begins on Saturday, 13 November 2020 but already Ghanaians say the prize money on the tournament is not enough.
Prosper Harrison Addo, general secretary of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) says the $42,900 set aside as prize money for the overall winner of the Ghana Premier League (GhPL), is fair.
Last week the GFA announced the figure as the prize money for the overall winner of the 2020/21 Ghana Premier League. However, this has not excited many football fans and journos alike.
Speaking on Asaase Radio’s #TeamTalk, Prosper Harrison Addo insisted the amount is the best the GFA could give.
“Indeed even if there’s no prize money, there’s a ticket to go to Africa. Take it from me, no amount would be enough,” he said.
“The prize money is not to take care of everything (in terms of their expenditure). Nobody is saying that that money is going to take care of everything the club is going to spend. No. We look at economic priorities’’ he added.
The GFA general secretary also argued that the amount, even though considered derisory by Ghanaians, was still better than what winners get in other jurisdictions.
“Óur prize money is bigger than that of other football leagues. We go into this comparison parallels with South Africa. Conversely, ours is also lower than in some other leagues. Just the same way journalists in Ghana don’t earn as much as their South African counterparts. We can’t go into these comparisons all the time. The quest is to improve year after year.”
The FA in a statement last week mentioned that the winners of the league will earn 250,000 Ghana Cedis which is equivalent to $42,000 – a huge improvement on what previous winners have earned after winning the league.
Previous prizes
In 2012, Asante Kotoko was awarded a minivan for winning the Ghana Premier League.
Three years later, the GFA awarded AshantiGold S.C an amount of 40,000 Ghana Cedis ($6800).
The highest amount awarded to any club as prize money was $30,000 given to Wa All-Stars in 2016.
The Ghana Premier League begins on Saturday, 13 November 2020.
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