Pinnacle Ciroma FC striker, Justice Asante
• Justice Asante plays for Pinnacle Ciroma FC and is a coach at One World FC
• The striker cum coach claims that Ghana football doesn’t pay
• He believes footballers can still venture into other businesses whiles playing
It’s often rare to find a player-coach in any football club, however, one individual who is privileged to have both jobs is Ghanaian footballer, Justice Asante who plays for Pinnacle Ciroma FC in the Division Two League and acts as a coach for One World Football Club.
Asante started his footballing career with One World Football Club, a talent development academy in Accra, where he distinguished himself among his teammates and was awarded a role to handle the junior side of the club.
“I was playing for the junior side but it got to a time, my coach asked me to be a supporting coach whiles playing as well. That was where I started having interest in coaching and playing at the same time,” he told Ghanaweb in an exclusive interview.
As the years went by, Justice Asante who plays as a striker succeeded in getting the attention of Pinnacle Ciroma FC who poached him from his boyhood club to help them realise their dream of qualifying to the Ghana Premier League.
However, since joining the Division Two side who are based in Accra, his professes that the journey has been tough but also that he finds solace in the coaching business, since it’s a profitable venture.
“Ghana football doesn’t pay, even those in Division One don’t earn anything, except the Premier teams, so Division Two also doesn’t pay that is why I play and support with the coaching,” he said.
“With the coaching, I earn something to support my career like when it comes to buying boots, jerseys and food. Footballers struggle with food that is why we often have people who said they were players but there was no help.”
In the documentary titled the Business of Football and why young players are retiring to become coaches, Justice and other coaches reveal how they cope with life as football mangers.
According to Justice Asante, giving up should not be an option for a footballer hence they must think about other ventures after hanging their boots.
Watch the ‘Business of Football’ documentary below: