Mohammed Munkaelu Jnr, the former head of Operations and Marketing Manager for Real Tamale United (RTU), has raised concerns about the potential impact of banning the club for fielding unqualified players in their Ghana Premier League match against Dreams FC.
The match in question, part of the outstanding fixture for matchday 28, saw RTU players boycott the game due to six months of unpaid salaries. In response, the club fielded different players but retained the names of the boycotting players on the match sheet.
The Ghana Football Association (FA) has officially charged RTU and some of its officials for this action. However, Munkaelu Jnr believes that banning the club would have severe consequences. "Real Tamale United is the only sports tool in the whole of northern Ghana. To ban RTU would mean they have killed a lot of souls, and that wouldn’t be fair," he told Citi Sports.
Munkaelu Jnr suggested that instead of a club-wide ban, the individuals responsible for the decision should face sanctions. "The club is much innocent. I think there are some individuals that have made some wrong decisions, those individuals can be either be banned or given lengthy sanctions, and I support that," he added.
Despite the controversy, Dreams FC emerged victorious, thrashing RTU 8-1. This is not the first time RTU players have threatened to boycott a match due to unpaid salaries in the 2023/24 Ghana Premier League season. The club, which has already been relegated from the top flight, will face Accra Great Olympics in their final game of the season.