By Alex Osei-Boateng

ACCRA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Ghana's Minister for Youth and Sports Isaac Kwame Asiamah on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction with the delay in the start of the premier football league.

The 16-club league was scheduled to open last month but a legal battle between the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and Great Olympics, one of last season's three relegated teams, has led to its indefinite postponement.

Great Olympics secured a court injunction against the start of the league, citing the GFA's disciplinary committee's decision to dump its protest against two clubs.

Addressing the media at a ministerial press conference in Accra, Asiamah said considering sports as a means to an end, the delay in the beginning of the elite league defeated that purpose.

"The ministry regrets the unfortunate delay in the start of the premier league and is actively intervening to find a lasting solution to the impasse between Accra Great Olympics and the GFA," he said.

Asiamah disclosed that the government had approved an amount 8 million U.S. dollars for the organization of the 2018 Africa Women's Cup of Nations to be hosted in Ghana from Nov. 17 to Dec. 1.

The sum will be used for the renovation of stadia and other training facilities for the biennial football competition organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for women's national teams.

Eight countries will participate in the tournament which will also serve as qualifier to the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.

Ghana will be hosting the championship for the first time since it was introduced in 1998.