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We want to protect our youth players- GFA

The Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association explains the situation in compelling players to commit with academies in the long term before being allowed to join the u-17 national team

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The reason being they have been asked to sign long term contracts with academies they belong to before being released to join the Black Starlets.

Speaking to Class FM in Accra, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Communications Director Mr Ibrahim Sannie Daara came out to clear the air on the matter.

He earlier gave the background of the story from the GFA’s standpoint:

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“When the U-17 team came back from Gabon the GFA President called the management committee of the national teams and asked why we could not get the full complement of our squad.

“It was explained that some clubs and academies in Ghana are refusing to release some of their players for the national u-17 team.

“We wanted to know why so we sent delegations to go and meet this academies.”

He then gave the concerns towards the release of these players for these youth tournaments.

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“These academies had one message for us. They said that these tournaments serve as a chance to steal players from academies. Now, you can imagine that club owners and academy owners have spent fortunes raising players. They house them, feed them, and provide the best of medical care and international exposure.

“You can imagine the cost and due to FIFA laws not allowing clubs to sign minors we have agents popping up the place to sign contracts with them.”

Mr Sannie Daara now gave his angle of defense from the FA:

“If we have clubs and academies coming to us and saying we are being used to steal players, we will be irresponsible if we do not take measures to protect them.

“Clubs and academies have spent millions and millions raising these players.” “If these players go to national teams they have stolen we will not have players in our national team tomorrow.

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“We must protect people who spend money to raise footballers and they are going it in the right way. The state is unable to spend these sums in raising players and if individuals are doing it for us the least we can do is to protect them. We then gave them that assurance that when players come to the national team we would protect them.”

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