Daniel Mackorley, CEO of McDan Group, has revealed that he would have considered sponsoring the Ghana Premier League but for the pervasive issue of gambling.
With the new Ghana Premier League season set to begin in September, the competition is currently without a headline sponsor following the end of the three-year partnership with Betpawa. This sponsorship withdrawal has left the league in search of new financial backing.
Mackorley expressed his concerns about the impact of gambling on the league’s integrity, stating that match-fixing and betting-related issues have deterred potential sponsors. He spoke candidly in an interview with Asempa FM:
“I can’t sponsor the league because the gambling is too much. The match-fixing is collapsing our game. You’ll watch a game, and how a goalkeeper concedes a goal is funny; it’s because someone must bet to win,” he said.
Mackorley emphasized the need for reform within the sport to restore its credibility and attract investment:
“Football is a nice game, but our players can’t play for years. Let’s try to sanitize our football.”
As the start of the new season approaches, Ghana Football Association President Kurt Okraku has assured that efforts are underway to secure a new sponsor for the league.