Former Vice President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), George Afriyie has advocated for clubs to be freed from paying the 10% of international transfer sums to the football governing body.

The initiative which came to being in the mid-1990s was meant to generate revenue for the association to invest in the development of grassroots football.

A percentage (5%) of the total transfer sum was meant to be paid to the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), the welfare body of clubs in the country.

However, in recent times, the money accrued from the transfers is not used to develop juvenile football and seek the well-being of clubs as it was earmarked, Afriyie claimed in an interview with Nhyira FM’s Power Sports.

He, thus, called for an end to the payment.

“We must erase the 10% paid by clubs to the GFA after direct onward transfers,” the Okyeman Planners President said.

He explained that “It has outlived its purpose and most clubs evade it by transferring players on loan initially and pay $500 for the ITC with an option to make it permanent later. Once it is made permanent they pay nothing to the GFA.”

In 2019, the GFA under a Normalisation Committee wrote to division one league club Tema Youth FC to pay 10% of the transfer sum of two players, Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Larveh to the association as enshrined in its regulations.

Tema Youth argued that an initial $500 was paid to the FA for each transfer of the players on loan, therefore, they were reluctant to pay the 10% requested.

George says the disagreement between the FA and Tema Youth became a protracted one because the money involved was huge.

“Palmer’s transfer [of Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Larveh] became the talk of the town because the money involved was huge,” he noted.

The 10% enshrined in the regulations of the GFA was approved by Congress, and the power is before to repeal the law. Afriyie is committed to proposing for congress to expunge the law in the regulations.

“I am one of the advocates who will propose at congress for the 10% paid by clubs to the GFA for transfers outside to be scrapped.

[As I said earlier] its purpose has been defeated. The purpose was for the FA and GHALCA to use the funds generated to support the clubs in terms of their welfare, juvenile football and others but that has not been realized. It has been a while we organized any competition for juvenile football,” he added.

“Let’s say, Osei Palmer scouts a player from a colts club in Ashaiman, he can sell the player and 5% each of the amount is given to the GFA and GHALCA and it is not used to develop youth football, then what Benfica club gained?” he questioned.

He continued that, “GHALCA for instance is supposed to be a welfare body for the clubs but has become for welfare for members but not clubs.

“When have they gone to the aid of any club or clubs in difficulty? I am positive I will have the support of a lot of clubs to get rid of it,” the former Black Stars management committee member stated.

The GFA recently wrote to clubs to demand they pay 10% of the total sum of transfer fees.

Source: Joy Sports