Henry Asante Twum, spokesperson for the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has pushed back against growing criticism that the Ghana Premier League (GPL) is a weak competition based on the recent struggles of Ghanaian clubs in CAF inter-club competitions.
Speaking on Akoma 87.9 FM, Asante Twum argued that a club’s exit from continental competition should not automatically be read as a verdict on the quality of the domestic league that produced them.
“If Samartex or Medeama wins the league and then exits the African competition, does that mean the league is weak or bad? No,” he said. “Rather, it could mean the team lacks the African exposure and experience needed to compete at that level.”
According to Asante Twum, success or failure on the continental stage often comes down to a club’s familiarity with the unique demands of African football rather than the strength of the league they emerged from. He pointed to Hearts of Oak’s history of continental success as evidence that domestic league form and African performance don’t always move together.
“When Hearts were dominating Africa, was the Ghana Premier League the best? The answer is no,” he said. “People should stop making such easy conclusions.”, Henry opines on Akoma 87.9 FM.
Asante Twum also drew a comparison with European football to illustrate his point, noting that even the biggest clubs on the continent don’t necessarily play in the best-rated leagues.
“PSG have won the UCL back-to-back, but Ligue 1 is not the best league in the world or even the best in Europe,” he said. “So why should someone say the performances of Medeama and Nations FC in Africa demonstrate how weak the GPL is? That is simply not a fact.”, he further stated.
His comments come amid renewed debate among Ghanaian football fans and pundits over the competitiveness of the domestic league, following disappointing campaigns by some of the country’s representatives in CAF club competitions this season.
