Ghanaian footballers finally get to go home

KOCHI: Ghanaian footballer Stephen Kwazi Menza, who has been under treatment for a life-threatening disease since March at the MCH in Thrissur, will soon be able to go home.Having arrived last December to play in various seven-a-side football tournaments across the state, players from various African nations were stranded due to the nationwide lockdown.  

Menza will be part of the group of footballers who have been permitted to board a special chartered flight arranged by the Ghanaian embassy on August 22 from New Delhi to Accra. Though he is happy that he can fly back home, he is worried that he will have to shell out around `1 lakh before August 18 to ensure his seat on the flight.

The Thrissur-based Jaya Bakery team, who brought Menza to the state, is hit hard due to the suspension of the football tournaments due to the pandemic. “We are still looking for sponsors, but they are hard to come by because of the pandemic,” said a member of the team. The story is quite similar for the remaining 156 players who have been stuck in the state due to the pandemic.

Mohammed Saeed, manager of the Thrissur-based Usha FC said, clubs have been finding it hard to pay for the accommodation and day-to-day expenses of the players. “Families of some players are also suffering financially as they are unable to go back,” he said.  “Since the matches were suspended, we have been staying indoors and doing nothing. The Covid situation is better in my home country which is the only source of relief,” said Al Minhal Valanchery player and Liberian international Arko Moris. The lack of any specific information as to when the flight services will resume is a concern for players.

All Kerala Sevens Football Association president K M Lenin said: “There is already a fear that players will stop coming to Kerala from next season due to the way they have been treated this time around. Local players will also get less international exposure if international players do not come.”