Stephen Appiah taking his medal after peace match in Tamale

By Ameenu Shardow

The Professional Footballers Association of Ghana (PFAG) are looking to institutionalize their peace initiative into an annual affair.

The proposal follows a thoroughly successful opening of their three-month peace campaign in the Northern Region ahead of the December 7 general elections.

The Tamale township and its environs were lit up when a host of current and former footballers jetted into into to town to play a peace match on Monday.

Their presence was a source of joy and excitement to the locals who are limited to seeing their stars on the screens or hear their voices on radio by the virtue of their remoteness to the capital where most of the players reside.

However after a thoroughly successful show which pulled an appreciable crowd at the Tamale Sports Stadium, PFAG General Secretary Anthony Baffoe says the association will be looking to make it an annual affair where the stars will travel to various rural parts of the country to give a long lasting impression to the locals.

“Whenever they (Players) stand in front of the camera, people will listen so their contribution to peace especially here in the Northern Region carries a lot of weight,” he said.

“The people here in the Northern Region never see the players. They see them on TV, they hear them talking on radio.

“We in Accra are blessed, as soon as somebody lands at the airport we all see him but here they are very far away.

“So we decided after the Michael Essien’s peace match to do more of this and kick-starting it in the north I think is fantastic.”

“The turnout was ok thanks to the efforts of the media and we hope to do more of this.

“We should have annual events like this not only when there is elections and I wish every region will have a stadium.

“We will go to Hohoe, go to Bolga, where other people can see us in a mix of the local players, foreign and former players.”

The peace campaign which is in conjunction with the National Commission for Civic Education will see several of Monday’s event organized in other parts of the country to promote peace before, during and after the general elections.