Monitor payment of SSNIT contributions of footballers …Club Licensing Board urged

The National Coordinator of the Registration of Sportsmen (Footballers) at the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Mr Nkoo Joseph, has urged the Club Licensing Board of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to monitor the payment of pension contributions of all footballers in the Ghana Premier League (GPL), Division One League (DOL) and other divisions to ensure compliance.

This, he emphasised, would go a long way to ensure that footballers enjoy a decent life in retirement.

According to Nkoo, very few clubs have complied with the directive to regularly pay the monthly contributions of players, despite the ongoing campaign and awareness created by SSNIT in collaboration with related agencies.

In a chat with the Times Sports yesterday, Mr Nkoo Joseph stated that: “The effectiveness of the Standard Player Contract will be known if the authorities are able to monitor the activities involved, especially the payment of SSNIT Contributions for footballers to have pension in future.”

Explaining the processes, Nkoo said the Club Licensing Board (CLB) usually requests for SSNIT Clearance Certificates from the Clubs before the beginning of every season.

But in his view, that was not enough. “The CLB should request for the Clearance Certificates from the Clubs twice in a season. The beginning of the league and before the second round commences,” he stated.

Additionally, he indicated that the CLB must have an officer dedicated to monitoring clubs in order to ensure they were working with the SSNIT branches or through their portal system.

“SSNIT has a lot of benefits like Old Age Pension which is paid monthly to replace part of the lost income of a member who retires compulsory or voluntarily after contributing at least 180 months and attaining a minimum age of 55 years for reduced or 60 for full Pension.

Other benefits includes the Survivors’ Lump Sum that is paid when a member (footballer) dies in active service or before age 75; the Invalidity Pension that is paid monthly to a member (footballer) who is declared permanently unfit to work due to physical or mental disability (regardless of age) and the Emigration benefits that is paid to foreign players of the scheme who are leaving or have left Ghana permanently.

He encouraged all stakeholders in the sporting industry to take the SSNIT Pension Scheme seriously to give athletes a good future.

BY TIMES SPORTS REPORTER

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