Accept paycuts – Alex Agyekum to GPL Players
Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports, Youth, and Culture, Hon. Alex Kofi Agyekum has added his voice to the many proponents encouraging Ghana Premier League players to empathize with their clubs and accept a pay cut in these extraordinary times.
The Member of Parliament said players have a role to play in efforts to help club owners in their quest to soften the financial blow they are going through in the face of the prevailing coronavirus outbreak the country and the entire globe is going through at the moment.
Hon. Agyekum’s comments come after the local clubs petitioned the top hierarchy of football in the country to provide some level of financial boast within this period.
In an interview with Accra based radio station, Asempa FM. He made these contributions.
“I have this piece of advice for the players, they should condole with the club owners,”
“They should sit down with management and come to a compromise for a pay cut,”
“So that this COVID -19 crisis won’t decimate the clubs, gradually when things get back to normal, the clubs will bounce back,”
“The clubs give them bonuses in good times, so why can’t they accept to compromise in difficult times. They should not insist on taking what exactly is on their contract forms. That wouldn’t be right.”
The Ghana Premier League like most of the top leagues on the continental divide are currently suspended as the measures are instituted to mitigate the widespread of the deadly pandemic coronavirus.
Most Ghanaian clubs make their revenue through gate proceeds, with the league not being played and supporters barred from watching matches at the various match venues, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to raise funds to administer the clubs.
It remains to be seen if players will heed to this humble advice from the honorable and hold a round table discussion with management in how best to mutually benefit from this situation.
