According to him the disease has become a major bane to development in the country, as greater part of the national budget goes into its treatment and observed that the players could play a key role in helping to eradicate the disease.
Dr Yankey made the call when he chaired a workshop to introduce sports as a new dimension to the fight against malaria in the country and gave the assurance that the government would play its role to ensure the the pandemic was completely eradicated.
The disease which is caused by the anopheles mosquitoes through the transmission of the plasmodium parasites is a leading killer, with global deaths of over one million annually.
The program, Team
He said the Irish national team is the first to have signed on to it, and on the continent, the Malian national team has already signed on to it, and personalities, including English football star, David Beckham, music star, Bono, Barcelona FC and the US League Soccer are among a few icons and institutions who have signed on and are championing the fight against the disease.
He explained that football was chosen because it is one sport enjoyed by many families across the country, and also forms an avenue to provide opportunity for all to get involved.
The program also intends to galvanize political involvement and ultimately to use football as conventional means to get attention.
Source: Modern Ghana