The business aspect of the beautiful game, football, has taken over the game from the days when it was seen as entertainment or sports and former Starlets captain Sebastian Barnes has a different opinion.
Ex Ghanaian international Sebastian Barnes believes that, with football turning into business, it has taken the excitement and passion out of the game and he believes it is a worrisome trend.
Having played in the local league with Hearts of Oak, the former midfielder says the days when football was enjoyable and entertaining are over and it has moved to the concentration on the business aspect of the game, neglecting the other factors like love for the game.
As the game evolves, he thinks it has moved from its initial purpose of entertainment and therefore lost its value.
Sebastian Barnes, who captained Ghana’s 1991 FIFA U-17 World Cup team and was a member of the 1993 squad noted that, the influence of social media on players is also a factor that has led to distraction and destruction.
In his view, during their playing days, there was nothing like social media and all you have to do is concentrate on adequate training to become a better footballer whilst the youth of today only think of just moving abroad for greener pastures irrespective of how bad or immature the player is.
In his final submission, he alleged that, a lot of fake agents are also to be blamed for how they are only interested in exporting young players.
Now 43, the former midfielder said, he will come to Ghana soon after the Covid-19 pandemic to meet the top football administrators to see how best he can contribute his knowledge to Ghana football.
Barnes was talking to Raymond Owusu Amoabeng (Daakyehene) on Ahotor FM’s Warm Up Sports on Adikyi Mu Nsem.
Mustapha Hadji
