The Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Ibrahim Saanie Daara, has strongly defended the decision of the association to sign an agreement with StarTimes, which has acquired television rights for local league matches for the next 10 years.

Per the agreement, StarTimes will pay $17,950,000 through the period and provide 10 artificial pitches and a fully equipped modern Out Broadcast van to the GFA.

Critics, however, believe the FA could have bargained for a better deal, but Mr Daara said the FA’s detractors were working themselves over nothing.

“Anybody who criticises this deal is absolutely wrong. What [sponsorship] did you have for the FA Cup, Division One League, Women’s League? And now you have graduated and you are complaining. You have a lot of TV stations, who was able to buy the media rights to telecast the Ghana Premier League? Who was capable of paying such an amount of money? Nobody,” he told Class Sports.

“It is the same people who will accuse us when we don’t have it and say we are not efficient. And when we have it too it is bad business. It is sad, isn’t it?”

He further revealed to Class Sports the deal with StarTimes was the only option available after broadcasting giants SuperSport put an end to their ties with the Ghana Premier League.

“What other options do you have on the table? I can confidently tell you that it was the only option on the table for us,” he noted.

Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com