The Ghana Football Association (GFA) says the Independence Day game between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko in the United Kingdom on Saturday, March 7 will affect the Ghana’s league calendar.
The two rivals will rekindle their rivalry outside the country to mark Ghana’s 63rd Independence Day celebration at the 6,500 capacity seater stadium The Hive Stadium in Barnet, London.
However, football fans believe that postponing the league for the commemorative game may affect the zeal of the fans and drop the level of enthusiasm among the fans.
Launching the game on Tuesday at the GFA Secretariat, General Secretary of the Association, Prosper Harrison Addo assured there was no need to panic because it will not affect the smooth running of the league.
He said the FA considered the current league calendar to convince itself that the league will not be disrupted before going ahead to sanction it.
“We are engaging opponents of the two clubs to explore the option of moving forward their games for that weekend, so they honour the games before leaving for London.”
“The “bringbackthelove” campaign has caught up well with all and even non-football lovers have been caught in the fever as well. The GFA will not do anything to kill the spirit.”
He urged the two teams to showcase the beautiful Ghanaian football brand to the rest of the world, adding that, the GFA will play a key role in terms of the teams’ preparation and deal with the appropriate authorities to ensure that they get the proper documentation before embarking on the trip.
Mr. Justin Addo of HRH Sports Consultancy revealed that the game will be officiated by officials appointed by the English Football Association.
He said the company will consider a request from the supporters’ wing of both clubs to have their members considered in the preparation for fans to travel with the teams.
The Commercial Director of Hearts of Oak, Charles Kwarteng and the Chief Executive Officer of Asante Kotoko, George Amoako both thanked the organisers for settling on their respective clubs, promising to be at their very best while showcasing beautiful Ghanaian football to the world.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY