Asante Kotoko coach, Dr Prosper Narteh Ogum, has named two things that he believes are hindering the progress of the Ghana Premier League (GPL).
The tactician told reporters after Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Hearts of Oak that the league is struggling to progress because of inadequate security and lack of quality pitches at some venues.
According to him, people will patronise the local league more as compared to the foreign ones such as La Liga and Premier League if these things are fixed by authorities.
“I think there are certain venues when you go there it’s not friendly at all. When you go there they treat you like hated enemies, not like friendly rivals. You go there, the intimidation, the threat, some even want to beat you up. I am of the view that the security component of our league should be beefed up so that when we go to such venues we would be safe,” Ogum said.
“And then some of the pitches we play on are not good at all. They don’t give the players the opportunity to express themselves. If you look at the quality of the Accra Sports Stadium pitch today, you saw the quality of the game, both teams tried to keep the ball on the turf, and I think if venues have good quality pitches like this our league will be better.”
The former WAFA trainer added, “La Liga, EPL and others will be a thing of the past because they are a lot of young talents in the country and when we get good pitches I think we can get there.”
The first round of the league concluded last Sunday with the two biggest clubs playing out a goalless draw.
Kotoko are first with a seven-point advantage over second-placed Bechem United.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana