Ghana announced complete cancellation of its Premier League (GPL) on Tuesday following months of uncertainty about the future of the football season due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
After three months of wait, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council decided to annul the 2019-20 term altogether, the campaign having been on hold since March when a national ban on all public gatherings, including sporting and religious events, came into force.
It is the west Africans' second straight time of cancelling a football season midway through.
Coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, has brought the world to a near standstill as it has so far infected over 10,616,365 people and claimed 514,637 lives, forcing a major disruption to many activities and events.
As a means to counter the spread of the infection, major sporting competitions have had to take forced breaks as part of social distancing and self-isolation measures.
Domestic football called off
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Following the likes of England, Italy, Germany and Morocco, Ghana first temporarily suspended its national leagues on March 15 , shortly after President Nana Akufo-Addo announced a ban on all public gatherings, including sporting and religious events.
According to the statement by the GFA, all its competitions were to take a break so long as the ban persists.
The decree against public gatherings, initially scheduled for a month, has been extended multiple times as Ghana's coronavirus cases keep increasing.
Ghana confirmed its first two cases of Coronavirus on March 12.
On March 15, when public gatherings were banned and the Premier League was temporarily suspended, a total of six cases had been recorded.
As at Tuesday June 30, the West African nation has registered 17,741 cases involving 112 deaths and 13,268 recoveries.
After months of pressure on the GFA for a final decision on the way forward for football, the GFA Executive Council terminated the 2019-20 season altogether on Tuesday.
According to a statement on the outfit's official website, "all records associated with the season have been expunged but fines accrued must be honoured by clubs.
"There shall also be no demotion and promotion."
The next season - 2020-21 - is likely to start in September/October this year.
Reaching the big decision
Goal Kenya.
With the coronavirus conditions highly volatile and unpredicatable, the GFA decided to allow itself as much time as possible to make a final decision, despite pressure for a promt call from many quarters.
Indeed the football's governing body gave itself a June 30 deadline for the big decision. Ghana's ban on all contact sports, including football, however, remains in effect until at least July 31.
While top officials of some clubs, including Berekum Chelsea , Eleven Wonder and King Faisal, publicly called for a complete annulment of the season, another group, including Medeama, believe the championship should be continued, regardless of the time football is allowed to be played again.
Earlier last month, the GFA revealed it was engaging the Government of Ghana over possible resumption of the football under strict safe protocols such as playing matches behind closed doors, having had a first request rejected.
That was after national minister for sports Isaac Kwame Asiamah revealed the near impossiblity for football return, partly due to financial challenges and safety precautions required for a comeback under the coronavirus conditions.
The Premier League was at its matchweek 15 stage when it was brought to a halt. Aduana Stars were two points clear atop the standings.
Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak are the two most successful clubs in the history of the championship, with 23 and 19 titles respectively.
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