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Former Dreams FC goalkeeper, Lord Bawa Martey has shed light on the dire situation relative to the welfare and living conditions of players in the Ghana Premier League.
Bawa Martey told Saddick Adams that the remuneration of players in Ghana’s top-tier football competition is nothing to write home about as players still earn paltry sums.
He disclosed that in 2023, some players earn as meager as GH₵300 cedis as professionals working in the Ghana Premier League industry.
Martey also opened up on how players are mostly ignored by clubs and left to fend for themselves when they suffer bad injuries.
He therefore advised players in the Ghana Premier League to grab any sound offer from a foreign club as that will enable them to make some fortunes.
“Even though it’s our profession and we believe in our talent, we don’t get the needed recognition. It is not reflected in our salaries. If we were to list our worries, we would not end. I chose not to sign for any team this season due to reasons best known to me. I had a lot of offers but I rejected them due to previous experiences.
“You could get injured in the line of duty and no one would mind you. We still have players who earn as little as GHC300 cedis. Assuming you are paid GH ₵300, how do you survive monthly? What motivates us is the desire to earn some recognition for our family and team. We see the Ghana Premier League as a stepping stone so if God helps us, we will get deals.
“If a colleague tells me he wants to play in Togo, I will advise him to go because there is no money in this league. I once listened to an ex-player who lamented that he got nothing from winning multiple goal-king awards. If the opportunity comes for you to travel, grab it because it’s good,” he said.
Bawa Martey also dismissed the widely-held perception that most Ghanaian footballers are womanizers.
He rejected the claims, justifying that most players are often coerced into these situations to meet their survival and economic needs.
“It’s not easy having a girlfriend in this setting. We are often accused of being womanizers but it’s not true. Assuming I’m playing for a team in Tamale and I’m on a GH₵500 a month salary and by grace, I get to date a waakye seller who gifts me waakye for free, I will have to work for it,” he said.
Bawa Martey who was on the books of Dreams FC is currently unattached after failing to extend his stay with the club.
In the 2023/2024 Ghana Premier League season which kicked off on Friday, September 15, 2023, both Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko failed to pick up wins.
Hearts of Oak suffered a late 1-0 defeat to Real Tamale United while Asante Kotoko labored to pick a point against Hearts of Lions at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday, September 17, 2023.
source: Ghana Web
