I was surprised at the ranting of GFA capos especially Mr. Randy Abbey
at Mr. Kojo Bonsu�s call for the Association to be checked. More
surprised was I when many people called into many radio stations to
openly support the GFA on the basis that they have qualified Ghana
twice for the World Cup.
On websites, people insulted and even read politics into the call. Ghanaians have over the past years unpardonably failed to make our Sports authorities, especially the Ghana Football Association (GFA) be it past or present accountable to the tax payer because of some achievements they chalked. No matter one�s good deeds, one has to be responsible and accountable.
Let me take your minds back a little. In 1997, before the FIFA
Under-17 World Cup tourney in Egypt, having won the trophy in 1991 and
1995, the GFA wrote to FIFA to enquire if Ghana would take the trophy
for keeps should Black Starlets win the competition for a record third
as it is the norm in every FIFA competition. Because it was the turn
of an African nation to win and take a FIFA trophy for keeps after
Brazil won for keeps the senior world cup trophy, FIFA suddenly made a
u-turn replying the GFA that henceforth, no country, not even in the
senior World Cup would be allowed to take the trophy for keeps.
Instead, according to FIFA, a replica of the trophy was going to be
made for the country that wins the trophy for the third time and that
the original one would still be used.
Fortunately for FIFA, Ghana did not win that tournament after losing
1-2 to Brazil in the grand finale. As far as I am concerned, the
Under-17 trophy Switzerland won in Nigeria recently is not the same
trophy Ghana won in 1991 and 1993. Did the rules change again after
Ghana failed to win? I stand for correction anyway but Ghanaians and I
need to know what has become of the trophy Ghana won in 1991 and 1995?
What has the GFA done about this issue if my claim is true? Why have
Ghanaians especially the media, forgotten so soon about this injustice
metted out to Ghana and have not called on the GFA and the Ministry of
Sports to act on the matter?
To me FIFA played a fast one on Ghana and our own then GFA played
along just like the current GFA helped Chelsea FC of England to
deceive the whole of Ghana to fake a Michael Essien injury so he could
miss the 2006 African Cup of Nations. My problem is; why would the GFA
even write to ask FIFA if Ghana takes the cup for keeps in the first
place when the rules for winning the cup for keeps was clearly
stipulated in the FIFA regulations? Sad enough nobody protested.
Just before the kick off of the just ended FIFA under-20 World Cup in
Egypt, some Ghanaian players accused their coach, Sellas �Borbor�
Tetteh of taking bribes from players. This prompted the Sports
ministry to immediately institute a probe into the matter. As it
stands now, I believe the matter has been swept under the carpet
because coach Sellas won the World Cup trophy for Ghana. It will be
very unfortunate if the probe is no longer been pursued because we
have to get to the bottom of the matter. Even if the accusations are
untrue per the GFA findings, Ghanaians deserve to know the truth and
the appropriate sanctions prescribed for the players for false
accusations and bringing the name of the coach, team and Ghana as a
whole in disrepute.
Otherwise, it means that people can indulge themselves in illegal
activities but so long as they bring laurels to the nation, nobody
cares. Let us enquire from the FA and the Sports Ministry how far that
issue has gotten to and the culprit brought to book according to the
laws of the land, if there are any.
The Kwesi Nyantekyi-led GFA had their term of office extended by a
year more due to the Black Stars� 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign? This
confirmed my belief that majority of Ghanaians are hypocrites. Imagine
what would have happened if this had occurred in our national politics
today. Say, the NPP or the NDC government asking to extend its mandate
in office by just a month more due to some unfinished businesses. Hell
would have broken lose in Ghana. But the Kwesi Nyantekyi led GFA
successfully did it and the whole Ghana let them get away with it just
like that.
As far as I am concerned, the reason that the GFA elections might
hamper the Black Stars� qualification to the 2010 FIFA World Cup hence
the need for the postponement of the GFA congress was flimsy, childish
and bogus and should not have been allowed. We failed the �Host and
Win� agenda for CAN 2008 even though there were no GFA elections. That
should have taught us that GFA elections do not play our soccer. Funny
enough, after that failed agenda �Host and Win�, to divert attention,
the GFA hurriedly organized a press conference to launch an �Agenda
Angola 2010� without any document. Apart from Mr. Michael Oti Adjei of
TV3, who questioned if there was a document and what it entailed,
everybody was mute and they would have gotten away with that mess just
like that.
Did you hear that the FA organized that press conference
without inviting many top and experienced journalists in the country?
It was on purpose. Did you also hear that journalists who made it to
that press conference were given a handshake of GH� 200.00 each?
The recent poor performance of the Black Stars is really a course to
worry and I blame the GFA for it. With the aid of the GFA, certain
players have been made to feel they are indispensable to the Black
Stars. Ghana qualified for the World Cup with two important away wins
in Mali and Sudan without Muntari, Gyan and Appiah. Ghanaians have
been made to believe that without Stephen Appiah for instance the
Black Stars lack the needed motivation and morale to play, forgetting
that we even qualified without him.
How many matches have Ghana won since Appiah�s return? Ghana has played poorly instead since his return to first team selection. Why would coach Milo bench Kwadwo Asamoah who was a hundred percent contributor to Ghana�s World Cup qualification in Mali and Sudan and play an out-of-form Stephen Appiah? If the GFA do not rid sentiments out its activities, Ghana would not go anywhere in Africa and the World Cup.
I am not surprised because our �Forever Clean� GFA only saw the need
to employed the services of a psychologist only when Ghana was about
to play Brazil in the 2006 World Cup. We all love Appiah for being the
first to lead Ghana to the World Cup, but that does not make him
bigger than Kwadwo Asamoah, Hans Adu Sarpei, Quincy Owusu Abayie,
Junior Agogo, or any other Ghanaian. He does not possess the requisite
qualification to be the team�s psychologist so the issue that he
motivates the team better when he plays is childish and must be put
away until we see the �Tornado� playing active soccer and in form.
Remember Nigeria and Senegal? Instead of building on their 1994 and
2002 World Cup performances respectively, they performed poorly. Ghana
should not follow that trend.
I am of the belief that the actions of Essien, Muntari and Gyan were
collaborated by the GFA to aid them to miss the coming African Cup of
Nations in the name of punishment for their indiscipline behavior
before the Angola friendly and make them available for the World Cup.
Otherwise the suitable punishment for these players would be outright
dismissal from the Black Stars because they are not first time
offenders. Ghana will not lose anything. I tell you we have ready and
hungry players who will die better for the nation if given the chance.
Ghanaians must make them know that Ghana made them but not the other
way round.
Let us ask the Kwesi Nyantekyi-led GFA what the interpreter of Milo is
still doing in Ghana. Who pays his salary? We were told by Mr. Randy
Abbey when he was interviewed by Nii Arday Clegg on GTV that Milo
played in the USA but has coached for so many years in non-speaking
English countries so needed an interpreter for some few months to
enable him rediscover the art of English speaking, I think he said
three or six months, and that he will be on his way out. What is he
still doing here?
I know Milo can speak English otherwise when he goes on the touchline to shout at his boys, what language does he speak? We do not even see him making signs like Giuseppe Kofi Dossena so that we can say he communicates with them through signs. GFA is only being loose because the interpreter is the coach�s personal friend. �Job for the boys abi�?
This is a waste of our hard earned money if Ghana is paying him.
Government must stop it. Those who jump to the defence of the GFA as
soon as they cry foul of government interference, must rethink it. GFA
does not make profit for the government, rather they always call on
the government to finance their activities including the national
teams hence they must be checked. Government here represents our
interests. The government also takes praise for the successes so let
us help to make our sports authorities accountable.
Finally, if the GFA is shielding itself with the achievements of the
Black Stars and Satellites, I would say they have failed us because
the quality of our league is low. How many local players do we have in
our national teams? How many of the players who won awards in the last
premier league could even get selection into the Black Satellites
squad that won the cup in Egypt? How about local league patronage? Now
people prefer European leagues to Ghana league. Do you call this
success? No wonder the only reason they could assign to their
extension of term of office was the Black Stars.
Let�s make them accountable because there is nothing wrong with accountability.
Source: Philip Adu-Mensah, P O Box TF 1, La Accra [email protected]
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