The 2020–21 Ghana Premier League is the 65th season of top professional association football league in Ghana. The season started on 14 November 2020. 18 teams were competing in the league with each club playing each other twice, home and away, with the three clubs at the bottom of the league relegated to the Division One League. Hearts of Oak became champion for the first time in twelve years.
Season overview With 18 clubs participating in the league, this marked the second time since 1980 that more than 16 clubs competed in the top division of Ghanaian football. The GFA announced that the league was suspended on 15 March 2020, in the middle of match-week 15, because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. On 31 May, the league was further suspended until at least 31 June. On 30 June, the FA had a meeting and cancelled the league due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A meeting was held on 27 August 2020 to determine the start and logistics of the 2020–21 season.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA), on Friday, 5 November 2020 launched the 65th Ghana Premier League season and other products of the Association, ie, Division One League, Women's Premier League and the MTN FA Cup. The launch took place in the studio of broadcast partner StarTimes, and broadcast live on StarTimes Adepa Channel 247 and Max TV.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic on 22 October 2020, The Ghana Football Association (GFA) began testing of players, coaching staff, and officials of the 18 Premier League clubs.
The Ghana Football Association chairman announced the prize money for winning the league: "The winner of the 2020/21 Premier League will earn GHC 250,000 in prize money. The prize money is an increase from the GHc 180,000 received by the last winner of the Ghana Premier League Aduana Stars in the 2016/17 season."
Prize money The club that placed first in the league season would earn a trophy along with a cash prize of GHC 250,000, 40 gold medals and Ghc 10,000 worth of groceries from Melcom Shopping Center. The club that placed second in the league season would receive GHC 150,000 and 40 silver medals and groceries from Melcom Shopping Center. The club that placed third in the league season would earn an amount of GHC 80,000 and 40 bronze medals.
Challenges
COVID-19 The opening game between Hearts of Oak and Aduana Stars was postponed after a number of players tested positive for COVID-19. 16 teams went for COVID-19 testing.
The game between Liberty Professionals and Bechem United was also postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Teams The 2020-2021 Ghana Premier League season has seen an increase in the number of clubs from 16 to 18 clubs. The Accra Sports Stadium would be home to five Premier League Clubs, they are Hearts of Oak, Asante Kotoko, Legon Cities, Great Olympics and Inter Allies.
Stadiums and locations Note: Table is in alphabetical order.
TeamLocationVenueCapacityAduana StarsDormaa AhenkroAgyeman Badu Stadium7,000Asante KotokoAccraAccra Sports Stadium40,000Ashanti GoldObuasiLen Clay Stadium20,000Bechem UnitedBechemNana Gyeabour's Park5,000Berekum ChelseaBerekumGolden City Sports Stadium5,000DreamsDawuTheatre of Dreams Sports Stadium5,000Ebusua DwarfsCape CoastCape Coast Sports Stadium15,000Eleven WondersTechimanOhene Ameyaw Stadium2,000Elmina SharksElminaNduom Sports Stadium5,000Great OlympicsAccraAccra Sports Stadium40,000Hearts of OakAccraAccra Sports Stadium40,000Inter AlliesAccraTheatre of Dreams Sports Stadium40,000Karela UnitedAiyinaseCAM Stadium5000King FaisalTechimanOhene Ameyaw Park10,000Legon CitiesAccraAccra Sports Stadium40,000Liberty ProfessionalsDansomanCarl Reindorf Park2000MedeamaTarkwaTNA Park12,000WAFASogakopeRed Bull Arena1,000
Club managers and captains The table lists club managers. TeamManagerCaptainAduana Stars Asare Bediako Joseph Addo Asante Kotoko Mariano Barreto Felix AnnanAshanti Gold Romain Folz Amos AddaiBechem United Mingle Ocansey Kasim Moro SalifuBerekum Chelsea Seth Hoffman Stephen AmankonaDreams Vladislav Virić Michael AgbekpornuEbusua Dwarfs James Kuuku Dadzie Dennis KorsahEleven Wonders Ignatius Osei-Fosu Simms KwayieElmina Sharks Joachim Yaw Acheampong Ishmael HammondGreat Olympics Annor Walker Gladson AwakoHearts of Oak Samuel Boadu Abdul Fatawu Mohammed Inter Allies Henrik Peters Lehm Hashmin MusahKarela United Evans Adotey Godfred Agyemang Yeboah King Faisal Slaviša Božičić Michael AkuffoLegon Cities Bashir Hayford Fatau DaudaLiberty Professionals Andy Sinason (co-interim) Sellas Tetteh Shaibu Ganiu George William AnsongMedeama Yaw Preko Joseph Tetteh ZutahWAFA Prosper Nartey Ogum Ibrahim Abukari
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyReplaced byDate of appointmentTableLegon CitiesGoran Barjaktarević Sacked21 November 2020Bashir Hayford25 November 202018thAsante KotokoMaxwell KonaduSacked18 December 2020Johnson Smith (interim manager)18 December 20206thJohnson Smith (interim manager)End of interim basis 26 March 2021Mariano Barreto26 March 2021 6thHearts of Oak Edward OdumRe-assigned to the youth teamDecember 2019Kosta Papic2 December 202011thKosta PapicResigned15 February 2021Samuel Boadu2 March 202111thDreams FCWinfred DormonRe-assigned as assistant coach8 January 2021Vladislav Virić8 January 202116thBerekum ChelseaMichael Hesse OdamttenSacked9 January 2021Seth Hoffman13 January 202115thAshanti GoldMilovan CirkovicMutual consent23 February 2021Romain Folz 31 March 20217thMedeama SCSamuel BoaduResigned25 February 2021Yaw Preko3 March 20213rdAduana StarsSamuel Paa Kwesi FabinEnd of contract 27 February 2021Asare Bediako 1 March 20218thBechem UnitedErnest DansoMutual consent25 March 2021Mingle Ocansey Kasim 25 March 20218thLiberty ProfessionalsDavid OclooSacked21 April 2021Andy Sinason Sellas Tetteh21 April 202117thEbusua DwarfsErnest Thompson-QuarteyResigned13 June 2021James Kuuku Dadzie15 June 202112th
League table
Ebusua Dwarfs were relegated based on head-to-head disadvantage against Elmina Sharks and King Faisal not goal difference.
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers +RankPlayerClubGoals1 Diawisie TaylorKarela United182 Kwame PeprahKing Faisal 123 Joseph EssoDreams11 Hans KwofieAshanti Gold / Legon Cities Stephen AmankonaBerekum Chelsea6 Samuel AdamsAduana Stars10 Kwadwo Obeng Jnr.Hearts of Oak Maxwell Nii Abbey QuayeGreat Olympics9 Agyenim Boateng MensahDreams9 Augustine BoakyeWAFA Benjamin TweneboahElmina Sharks / Aduana Stars
Hat-tricks PlayerForAgainstResultDate King FaisalBerekum Chelsea4–3 (H) Ebusua DwarfsKarela United4–1 (A) Ashanti GoldInter Allies7–0 (H)
Clean sheets +RankPlayerClubClean sheets1 Razak AbaloraAsante Kotoko12 Richard AttahHearts of Oak3 Kofi BaahLiberty Professionals114 Joseph AddoAduana Stars95 Seidu RashidInter Allies8 Richard BaidooKarela United Frank BoatengMedeama 8 Solomon AgbesiDreams6 Benjamin AsareGreat Olympics Eric Ofori AntwiMedeama
Awards
Monthly awards As of 29 July 2021 MonthPlayer of the MonthManager of the MonthReferencesPlayerClubManager ClubDecember Gladson AwakoGreat Olympics Kwaku DansoBechem UnitedJanuary Diawisie TaylorKarela United Evans AdoteyKarela UnitedFebruary Joseph EssoDreams FC Vladislav VirićDreams FCApril Abdul BasitWAFA Yaw PrekoMedeama S.C.May Salifu IbrahimHearts of Oak Samuel BoaduHearts of OakJune Augustine BoakyeWAFA Samuel BoaduHearts of Oak
Annual awards AwardWinnerClubRefGhana Football Awards Coach of the Year Samuel BoaduHearts of OakGhana Football Awards Home-based Player of Year Salifu IbrahimHearts of OakGPL NASCO Coach of the Season Samuel BoaduHearts of OakGPL NASCO Player of the Season Salifu IbrahimHearts of Oak
See also
2020–21 Ghana Women's Premier League Ghana Premier League 2021 Ghanaian FA Cup
References
External links
Official Website
2020–21 Ghana Premier League at RSSF 2020–21 Ghana Premier League at Soccerway