Fussing and fighting over GPL’s reputation

If you are new to some of the local media commentaries on the reputation of the Ghana Premier League (GPL), you may easily assume that, some commentators have personal problems with the Ghana Football Association (GFA). Their discourse especially in the electronic media can get so vitriolic that, you can mistakenly think that, they want to see the GPL in tatters. They say it’s just passion for the GPL.

Pardon me if this is a naïve assumption but I’m so doubtful that, there are indeed sections of the local media, who actually want the GPL and GFA to fail. In my opinion, regardless of how local media houses pay particular attention to European leagues for all the good reasons that are usually cited (like the fact that the English Premier League for instance has massive following in Ghana, so it makes business sense to spend airtime on it); it’s still undeniable that, a thriving GPL will be very helpful to the local media.

So, why would the local media seek the downfall of the failure of the GPL? I have and will continuously hold the view that, negativity in the GPL has never been the creation of the local media. Excuse my ignorance; from how I look at things, I’m yet to come across any local media house that deliberately fabricates and broadcasts negative stories about the GPL with the sole objective of making it look ugly.

The current season is so young but we’ve had a healthy competition. As a result, I wouldn’t want to recount specific examples of incidents that in the past impaired the reputation of the GPL. This season, despite the court litigation that delayed the start of the GPL, the Premier League Board (PLB) and the GFA have taken certain pivotal steps to enhance the GPL’s reputation. Nothing is too small in my view.

The criticism of the beauty of the GPL’s logo notwithstanding, I was for example happy that, at long last, the competition was given an identity at that level. Print media houses, online and television outlets have all been using the GPL logo which leaves an imprint on the minds of people once they see it.

Broadcast right holders, StarTimes earlier on created a bit of storm with their live match schedule. Yet StarTimes’ coverage has been fine. Clubs like Dreams FC, WAFA, Hearts, Inter Allies, Elmina Sharks and Karela United have been doing decent media coverage of their activities; that, in my view, is steadily contributing to enhancing the GPL’s reputation. The local media can only mirror that.

The thought, then, is that, if club managers with the PLB/GFA will take positive strides at their level; the tendency for the local media to report the good strides will be high. The onus therefore lies not really on the local media to create positive GPL stories. For me, the responsibility rather lies heavily on club managers and the GFA to employ the right practices in their scheme of things.

The local media has its role but that doesn’t include running clubs professionally or taking decisions at the GFA. So, the fussing and fighting over the GPL’s reputation must stop. Nobody hates the GPL. A decent GPL will benefit clubs, fans, the local media and the GFA.

Major stakeholders like clubs and the FA must just to sit up. They should direct their energies towards the continuous adherence, fair and timely enforcement of rules set for the competition. They should look for professional, innovative ways of managing the brands at their disposal, because, it’s the aggregation of their individual efforts wherever they are that combine to enhance the GPL’s reputation.