Members of the public have called on the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) to focus on development, instead of sinking money into running a football club, the Metro FC, owned by the assembly.
The residents were of the view that if the assembly was interested in sports development, it should support existing clubs such as Sekondi Eleven Wise, Tarkwa United and Sekondi Hassacas, or first and second-cycle schools in the metropolis.
They said running a football club of more than 30 players and officials would be a drain on the budget of the assembly, arguing that if the authorities were not able to raise money to support the players and run the club, they would dip their hands into the assembly’s funds for the upkeep of the club.
The assembly, they lamented, had to pay the players, feed them, purchase equipment and provide transport for them, all of which entailed a lot of money and a drain on the resources of the assembly.
Some of the people who spoke to the Daily Graphic said the assembly should rather create the favourable environment for the establishment of all kinds of businesses, including the formation of football clubs by people who desired to invest in sports.
They called on the assembly to offload the team to interested persons and focus on areas such as building modern markets, patching potholes and building schools and clinics for the urban poor.
They said even though the formation of the club came with certain benefits, such as unearthing talents and providing employment for the youth, it was too expensive a venture to invest public funds in.
“When the team travels to play competitive games, all the expenses are taken care of by the scanty resources of the assembly,” they said.
Information from an insider in the assembly indicated that it voted a lot of money to support the club in its struggle to qualify for the Premier League but it failed to qualify.
The insider said the projection had been to get sponsorship from corporate bodies but, interestingly, that support eluded the assembly.
“Therefore, we have to support it through internally generated funds, which should not be allowed. If we have budgetary support, there will be no problem, but where we have to support the club by ourselves, it is way outside our mandate,” he said.
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