State agencies need start recruiting athletes into their payrolls again - Ibrahim Sannie Daara

Former Director of Communications at the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Ibrahim Sannie Daara, has urged state agencies to resume recruiting athletes into their payrolls to revive sports in the country, particularly football.

The CAF Media Officer believes this initiative will help sustain athletes and Ghana Premier League players, thereby boosting the development of sports.

He cited the example of Ali Jarrah, who played in the Ghana Premier League while being employed by the Ghana Fire Service.

Overall, Sannie Daara argues that the intervention of state agencies is essential to supplement the low salaries that players receive from local clubs.

"In the past, when someone was playing in the domestic league, he was employed by the police or the army," he told Joy Sports.

“Ali Jarrah, for instance, was employed by the Fire Service. So was Sam Johnson. And a lot of them were employed by the Bank of Ghana.

"All of these state agencies had some way, somehow, something to do with sports recruitment when they recruited every year.

“These are some of the things that we must go back to. Otherwise, we have no fighting choice. They have to because they are state institutions,” he urged.

“They recruit sportspeople. Part of the sportspeople must be footballers, athletes, or boxers, so that the player knows that, one, they'll get a salary from, say, if they're playing and working with the police, they'll get their salary from the police.

"They'll get a salary added on to, maybe, from Hearts or Kotoko. Then, finally, when they retire from football, they'll also have a full-time job to fall back on and a pension.”