GHANA PREMIER LEAGUE: GFA Adopts Spot-Kicks to Decide Drawn Games in Leagues

The Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) in consultation with Premier League clubs have agreed to resort to the playing of penalty kicks in league games that will end in a draw.

The decision which is quite novel in association football is a stopgap measure to curb the poor penalty shootout woes that has bedeviled the various national teams and clubs alike. In that every game that ends in a draw will be decided by a penalty shootouts and the victor gets two points, whilst the loser gets one point.

Just in 2019 alone, Ghana has been at the losing end in four major tournaments through spot kicks.

The senior national team the Black Stars, were victims in Afcon 2019 in Egypt after Tunisia edged Ghana in the Round of 16 through penalty shootouts, the Black Stars B also failed to win the 2019 ESPN WAFU tournament due to their frailties in spot-kicks.

And the still-fresh in our mind is the just ended U-23 Afcon in Egypt, where the Black Meteors failed to progress to the finals and also to clinch the third spot which would have enabled their qualification for the 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo through same familiar fate.

The decision has been welcomed by many football connoisseurs and enthusiasts across the country.

By: Tang Shuaib/@tangdeboy