POVERTY HAS GIVEN WOMEN FOOTBALL IN GHANA A COUNTERFEIT PROJECTION -- MADAM CLEOPATRA NSIA NKETIAH

Madam Cleopatra

Member of the Women’s League board who doubles as the bankroller of female division 1 side Ridge City FC, Madam Cleopatra has lifted the lid on the reasons for the fall in the standard of Women’s Football in the country as she handpicked economic hardships as the author of all their sufferings, she has also lamented that the publicity of the women league is the opposite of the talents they have.

In an exclusive interview with Akim Swedru based Bosome89.1FM, the soft-spoken football administrator recalled that before the Covid-19 brought a halt to World Sports, the women’s league in Ghana was doing fantastically well and she made reference to the women’s premier league, divisions 1 and 2, colts, and juvenile football in this case. She emphatically stated that the FA has over the seasons done little to enhance the proper publicity of the Women’s league as compared to that of the men’s hence, making sponsorship talks a tougher task for them.

Madam Cleo heaped praise on the Youth Employment Agency and the FA’s collaborated decision to give coaches and players involved in women’s football that is believed to be around 480 in number, a 500 cedi-allowance for the next 6 months to ease them off some of the Covid-19 financial distress. The government looks to boost the morale of female players and coaches in the country and then  resurrect their ‘deceased’ interest in the female sport. “The girls are super grateful to the government and the FA because it will shock you to know that it takes about almost a year before a female footballer comes across 500 cedis as her salary and we shall be very thankful even if we were given 100 cedis as  monthly allowance”, she sadly disclosed  when quizzed about why they were jubilant over ‘common’ 500 cedis.

Madam Nketiah also made a vow that the  nation should look out for them when football is permitted to resume, because now that they are gradually winning the heart and attention of the government and  the FA, they shall make a good use of that opportunity very well to market their talents to the world at large. She then pleaded with the media particularly sports broadcasters to do well in preaching women football to corporate Ghana and everyone so as to attract more investors and sponsors into the league.