Berekum Chelsea renamed FC Berekum

Former Glo Premier League champions, Berekum Chelsea, are likely to feature in the forthcoming league under a new name following consultations with various stakeholders including the board and the traditional authorities of Berekum to give the local people a sense of belonging.

Barring any last minute hitch, the club would be known as FC Berekum and the FA is expected to be informed appropriately.

The club’s CEO, Nana Kwame Nketia, told the Graphic Sports yesterday on phone that the FA would formally be informed by September 2, 2013, to enable all previous documentations to be amended.

The change of name follows months of battles with the local authorities who feel alienated from the club. And as a way of roping in all those who matter in the traditional area and to rally home-based supporters along with the club, the board has yielded to the pressure.

In a previous interview with the founder of the club, Mr Emmanuel Kyeremeh, before joining the premiership seasons ago, he said the name Chelsea was adopted as a way of creating a relationship with the English Premier League side.

Unfortunately, that dream appeared to have fallen through and this became one of the key motivating factors for the change of name.

But the Chairman of the Premier League Board (PLB), Welbeck Abra-Appiah, is sensing some difficulty in the usage of the new name because of time constraint.

He told the Graphic Sports yesterday that although the PLB had not been informed officially, it did not look feasible for the name to be admitted because it would have to go through some administrative procedures before it would be officially accepted.

“The club needed to have informed the PLB early enough for the necessary changes to be made.

“Anyway, I cannot make any conclusive statement for now; I will need to check from the Chelsea officials. You can call me by close of day today (yesterday) for a firm answer,” Mr Abra-Appiah said.