Covid-19: Ghana cautioned against 'comparing itself to Europeans'

Former Ghana international Mohammed Polo does not want the nation to follow in the footsteps of Germany to resume domestic football amid the coronavirus pandemic.

After two months of football suspension as part of measures to curb the spread of the disease, the European nation Germany has paved the way in restoring their elite leagues, albeit under strict safety protocols.

Football in Ghana, including the Premier League (GPL), has been at a standstill since a ban on public gatherings, including sporting events, was announced in the West African nation on March 15.

"I think it is about time football administrators calm down and allow the government to work because the disease is very dangerous," Polo, who won the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) with Ghana, told Bryt FM.

"After all, human lives are more important than football, so we shouldn’t always think about football.

“We cannot compare ourselves to the Europeans because their situation is different from ours.

"As we speak, the league lacks certain things like sponsorships and even paying players has become difficult for clubs.

"Since the government is not prepared to help at the moment, we should keep our fingers crossed.”

England, Italy and Spain are all but set to resume their leagues later this month.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has said it would not decide the fate of the disrupted 2019-20 season until June 30, despite increasing pressure for a prompt resolution.

Last month, football's governing body held talks with the national government about a possible resumption of the sport but the proposal was turned down.

While team officials from King Faisal, Berekum Chelsea and Eleven Wonders have advocated for the complete annulment of the current campaign, Premier League clubs like Medeama want the current term continued when safe to do so.

The championship was at the Matchweek 15 stage - with Aduana Stars on top of the table - when the competition was brought to a halt.

At the time, a total of six coronavirus cases had been recorded.

As at Thursday, June 4, the West African nation has registered 8,885 cases involving 38 deaths, 3,189 recoveries and 5,658 active cases.