Sulley’s return to the Ghana Premier League could probably be the biggest of all the returns in the league. The legendary Abedi Pele returned to Real Tamale United in 1985 after a combined three-year stint with Al Sadd, Zurich and Dragons I’Oueme in Qatar, Switzerland and Benin respectively.
Asamoah Gyan after 18 years of absence in the league returned home to Legon Cities for a swansong. Gyan played in Italy, England, France, China and other countries.
Sulley Muntari was a winner under the imperious Jose Mourinho for Inter Milan. He spent a whopping 4 years at the Italian club winning a treble in the 2009-10 season. Muntari also played for Udinese, Portsmouth, Sunderland, AC Milan, Deportivo La Coruna, Pescara and Albacete in Europe.
In Asia, the gifted left-footed midfielder played for Al Ittihad in the Saudi PRO League. Sulley only tasted Ghanaian football at the youth level when he was at the Liberty Professionals Academy between 2000 and 2001.
The Konongo-born was linked to the two giants of Ghanaian football after 21 years abroad but the Phobians luckily won his signature. Under Samuel Boadu, Muntari showed everyone that even at the twilight of his career, he remains one of the best midfielders Ghana has got. The midfielder played 15 games in total helping the club win the 2021-22 MTN FA Cup and the 2022 President Cup.
An integral member of Ghana’s mid-2000s team that enjoyed success on the world stage and the African continent, Sulley has seen it all at the upper echelon of world football so he can spot the differences between proper and horrible organizations when it comes to football.
In an interview on 3Sports, the former AC Milan and Inter Milan star did not mince his words when describing his experience in the Ghana Premier League, describing the league as a “big hole where they are dumping money” with “no future for the local league.”
I believe no Ghanaian will disagree with Sulley about the league having no future. Ghana Premier League indeed is so horrible as the former Black Stars winger said. Stephen Appiah once bemoaned the lack of a proper salary structure for the players. This must be the top priority of all the priorities of the league. The salary structure of the GPL is nothing to talk of as players have complained bitterly but it seems no one is interested in assisting them.
The financial problems of the league need to be addressed sooner rather than later to avoid a complete collapse of Ghanaian football.
“I am hoping I can get some funds and help them. It’s a mess. When I was there, it was a mess. Maybe now it is worse. If we don’t help these guys, we won’t get the top players,” Sulley continued. Mess, mess! Muntari repeated the word two times accompanied by a disappointed face. The 40-year-old has been down that road before so he understands the plight of the league.
Muntari continued, “The changing rooms smell. The respect is not there. I didn’t even want my laundry done. I would take it home. When you get into changing rooms, they smell bad. It is not just one team. Everybody.” Respect from our football gurus towards the league is zero. The Ghana Football Association hierarchy is barely spotted across the various league grounds. The Black Stars coaching staff started monitoring the league at the beginning of the season but none has been spotted at any ground recently.
Infrastructure in Ghanaian sports is as big an issue just like finance. Almost all the venues lack everything that makes a stadium a stadium. Changing rooms in most of the venues are dilapidated. Massive renovations are needed but who is the man to lead the course?
Sulley Muntari’s experience with the Ghana Premier League needs to be analysed if we want to develop the game. The no-nonsense man is 100% right about the league having no future.
If 10% attention that is always given to the Black Stars is given to the Ghana Premier League, massive improvements will be seen in no time.
Sulley enjoyed a 12-year career with Ghana winning 84 caps. He scored 20 goals for the Black Stars.
