Some time ago, the Ghana Football Association conceived the fine idea of aligning the football season with what obtains in Europe so that the foreign based players that form the nucleus of the Black Stars would not be disturbed with unplanned matches when they are supposed to be in the off season.

I think an attempt was made but somewhere along the line the programme was abandoned and now Ghana’s season has just ended when Europe is warming up to start a new season. The English Premier League is starting this weekend. Whilst England opened the season with the Charity Shield match between league champions Manchester United and FA Cup holders Chelsea, we had in Ghana the Sportswriters Cup match between the league runners- up Asante Kotoko and third placed Kpandu Heart of Lions. This was a match that fits many designations – either an end of season, mid- season or pre- season encounter.

The 2008-2009 league ended on July 19 and the experts say after such a marathon competition, a footballer would need at least six weeks to be fully refreshed. No wonder most of the players on the day were not at their best especially the Kotoko players who had struggled in two hectic months from a possible relegation to a dignified second spot on the table. It was obvious most of the players had not fully recovered from fatigue and the short training session for the SWAG Cup could hardly bring out the best in them. That was the point Kotoko coach Herbert Addo was making in an interview with the press after the match.

His suggestion was that Ghana football should have a clear cut calendar that would give players enough rest at the end of a season. And I don’t think he was exactly finding excuses for his team’s 2-0 defeat.

Since FIFA has decreed all leagues to end in good time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the coming season could be packed with a lot of midweek matches that would definitely stretch the players. I would therefore suggest that they should be given a rest till early October for the Top 4 tourney that would usher in the new season.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.