COVID-19: Randy Abbey cautions against pay cuts to Ghanaian Players
6th April 2020
Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association, Dr Ransford Abbey has expressed disagreement with “simplistic” conclusions in discussions over pay cuts for players during the stoppage of football activities in Ghana due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying all factors must be introduced to make prudent decisions.
The Chief Executive Officer of Division side Heart of Lions, in an interview with Nhyira FM, questioned the pre-emption that players on the local scene must not face pay-cuts due to meagre salaries.
“I hear people make the arguments and sometimes you hear them say, ‘what the players take is meagre so we shouldn’t look at it.
"That is a very simplistic way of looking at it. At the end of the day, those jurisdictions rolling out pay cuts also look at the financial capabilities of the clubs. So if you bring it into the Ghanaian contest, also look at the financial capabilities of the clubs and don’t just isolate the players because what the players earn is a function of how wealthy or the financial capacities of the leagues that they are playing in.”
Dr Abbey continued: “If a Division One club makes GH¢500 or GH¢1000 from the gates at the end of a match, how do you expect players in that league to be also paid? How much? So sometimes, what the players earn is a reflection of the financial position and capabilities of the leagues and therefore the clubs. So you cannot just look at home much the players earn; what about how much the clubs also earn? It will go hand-in-hand… at the end of the day, the clubs can only pay what they have.”
Dr. Abbey is of the belief that talks shouldn’t be too simplistic as it would be beneficial to involve all stakeholders in arriving at a better solution.
“I think that we need to have a holistic discussion about how this thing is going to impact on Ghana football. And Ghana football includes players, clubs, fans, everybody. We need to have a holistic discussion but taking out just this one. Because even in some of those jurisdictions, they are dealing with wealthy clubs. So even with wealthy clubs, they are looking at pay cuts, what about clubs that cannot even make ends meet?
“You cannot make a meaningful discussion when you isolate one side of the equation,” Dr Abbey added.
Ghana football is on an indefinite suspension as the nation focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and protection of her citizens.
As it stands now, there has been no strong word from the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana (PFAG) on the subject matter.