Former King Faisal and Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s midfielder, Yussif Rahman Chipsah says more Ghanaian footballers would move to less competitive football leagues in Africa due to the meager salaries they get in Ghana.
He says it is unfair to condemn players who move out of the Ghanaian league because they get better salaries there than what they receive at home, adding that, such moves could also affect the future of the national team.
In an interview, the midfielder said “I agree with those who say there is a problem with our local football because our top players are moving to Tanzania, Sudan and other less competitive places.”
“I think the only reason that would push these great players to such places is money, apart from that i don’t think there is anything that the Tanzanian league has that we don’t have here. We are ranked way ahead of Tanzania in terms of football so why would our best players move there to play?”
“We need to take good care of our players here, we need to motivate them and make sure the right salaries are paid, otherwise we will lose our best players in the local league to clubs in Tanzania, Congo and the rest.”
“This goes a long way to affect Ghana football in general, because the future of the national team depends on the players we have here. All the foreign based players we see today were once local players. The active ones in the Black Stars now, like the Gyans, Wakasos, Baba Rahmans and others were all once upon a time local players.”
“If they had moved to those less competitive leagues they wouldn’t have been in the national team today.”
“We have a big problem and we need to solve it now, otherwise the future of the Black stars would be bleak. Now the Black Stars is slipping in the FIFA world ranking. Some few years ago we were in the top 20.”
Chipsah 32, said he respects a player like Yahaya Mohammed, who has just signed for a Tanzanian club,but if you should ask him (Yahaya) about the Tanzanian league, “I don’t think he knows much about it.”
He said he believes Yahaya was attracted to the offer that was presented to him. “He looks at the money and he says OK, it’s better than what i get here so let me go for it.”
“Moreover, day in and day out they are growing, age is catching up on them and they need to think about their future after football. Most of them do not have any profession aside football. So it’s time for them to make some money.”
“A lot of factors are involved here, so i don’t want to blame the players because they are working, and if you don’t get enough you will grab any opportunity to earn more.”
“So in terms of money, our league is not attractive and we need to correct our mistakes. We can’t be losing players like that””
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
