Club owners urged to honour pension responsibilities of players, staff
An officer of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) in charge of the organisation’s Footballers Registration Project – process of making player registration on the scheme compulsory – Mr Nkoo Joseph, says the project has made some gains since its introduction some years ago.
However, he said, what was left to be done was much more than what has been achieved, adding that there was no need for complacency.
In an interview with the Times Sports yesterday, Mr Nkoo, who doubles as the Greater Accra Representative of Ghana Premier League side, Berekum Chelsea Football Club, appealed to all club owners in the country to have the future of their workers at heart by registering their players on the scheme and regularly pay their contributions.
According to him, that was the only way these footballers with short working life can have a decent future when they retire from active play.
“Club owners must have the interest of these players at heart. It is just not the players; others like the coaches and management members must be registered on the scheme and their contributions paid monthly because life around football can be unexpectedly short.”
He said although majority of the clubs have been educated on the need to register their players and other staff, it was sad to note that majority were yet to comply, a situation he described as worrying.
“However, clubs like Hearts of Oak, Asante Kotoko, and others at the elite level give hope that the situation can improve with regular reminders to the clubs.
“At the lower tier, clubs like WAFA, Elmina Sharks, and Accra Great Olympics are also on the right path, having registered their playing staff and honouring their pension responsibilities. That is a sign that with the ongoing education, other clubs would do the needful,” he indicated.
Mr Nkoo, an advocate of the SSNIT -Footballers Registration Project, recognised the challenges the clubs faced financially but was quick to add that it was important to consider the lives of these players after football.
“Usually, there are few of these players that get the chance to play abroad. Some of them even decide to stay in those respective countries but those that remain here make a little which is obviously not enough to take care of themselves after playing for a few years.
“When this happens, these players are left on their own. They become nuisance in our communities and life becomes unbearable for them,” he said.
He mentioned some SSNIT products or benefits like Old Age Pension, Survivor’s Lump Sum, Emigration benefits and most especially Invalidity Pension, adding that “these are benefits our footballers and other staff and their dependents can benefit from and clubs can take advantage of them.”
BY ANDREW NORTEY
