The Ghana Football Association is understandably disturbed about the low patronage of the premier league. And the FA puts the blame on the inundation of foreign league matches being shown by cinema hall operators in the country to the total neglect of the local league.

G.F.A. President West Nyantekyi has admitted that it would take a concerted effort by the FA, its sponsors and the media for the local league to attain a high profile status. To my mind this is a humble acknowledgement of a true situation. But I would straightaway put a large blame on the FA for not encouraging maximum publicity for the league knowing fully well that sports thrive on publicity.

The FA’s restriction on coverage by the local media was ill advised and it was poetic justice that the monopoly given to a foreign TV network to cover the programme ultimately ended on the rocks when the TV Company in question went bankrupt.

And come to think of it that there are not less that four powerful national TV networks in the country- GTV, TV3, TV Africa and Metro TV. Observers believe that the temptation to rake in as much foreign cash as possible might have attracted the FA to deal with that foreign TV station but the effect was that it cut off many Ghanaian football fans who could not access that cable TV network and they had to be hooked on the English league which was at times free on air.

My argument is that, the more media exposure the league gets, the more people who are even lazy to go to the stadium would be attracted to go in future. The notion that TV coverage leads to less gate takings is not usually the case. I have followed sports passionately for four decades and I can say with some amount of authority that the atmosphere at the stadium can never be compared to watching sports events on TV. Any genuine football fan will confirm this assertion. That explains why many high profile matches get full house even though everybody is aware there would be live TV coverage.

One may want to know what constitutes a high profile match. It simply has to be attractive and it is only attractive when you parade quality players. We have quality players in abundance in Ghana and we could have a quality league with quality players if club managers will stop hurrying teenage talents abroad for quick foreign cash. More on this issue later.

Meanwhile the good news is that the FA has now contracted Metro TV, reputed for its extensive worldwide sports coverage to handle the premier league as it enters the second round this weekend. It is hoped the nationwide coverage will gradually bring back the teeming fans who are fast losing interest in our local league because all they see on TV and read in the papers these are Ronaldo, Rooney, Fabregas, Lampard, Messi, etc etc. We can also make heroes out of Obed Ansah, Kwadwo Poku, Ekow Ghansah, Alex Asamoah Ahmed Samed Oppong, James Bissiw, Alex Anti, Kofi Nti Boakye and others.

The league’s top attraction on Sunday will be at Kpandu where run-away leaders Accra Hearts of Oak will face the local Heart of Lions. The homesters have a good home record having won five out of seven matches and they could give the potential champions are a scare. A draw looks likely.

Defending champions Kumasi Asante Kotoko travel to Swedru to face the ‘black magicians’ Gamba All Blacks and they would need a good win to assure their vociferous supporters that they are capable of successfully defending the trophy.

In the other fixtures Sporting Mirren will face Liberty Professionals at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra; bottom placed Ashantigold will meet Wa All Stars at Obuasi; Sekondi Hasaacas clash with Bechem Chelsea in Sekondi, Kessben face Tema Youth at Abramkese.

Berekum Arsenal meet Sekondi Eleven Wise at Berekum and King Faisal welcome Real Tamale United to the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

The nation is looking up to Metro TV to lead in the crusade to promote the national football league of Ghana which really deserves better than this in their golden jubilee year.