Frequent jostle for Boardroom points...

FA Disciplinary Committee Chairman, Prosper Harrison Addo.

In Ghana’s’ domestic football leagues, there’s always a gush of joy that greets reports that, a club has won Board room points. Supporters of any club that wins a protest at the Disciplinary Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) literarily throw a party while fans of the club that lost the protest get agitated especially when the points are crucial to their survival.

It may be said that, the emotions that go up and down in football fans following such news reports add to the fun surrounding the game but from my observation, that jostle for board room points isn’t helping the development of our g

ame. Before I’m misunderstood, let me quickly point out that, I’m not essentially against lodging protest to correct an anomaly.

What I’m finding difficult to see wisdom in is why the Ghana Football Association, take no action own its own to punish clubs immediately they flout regulations but rather wait until others protest. Is that the norm? It seems to me that, the FA isn’t or hasn’t done its work to expectation in instilling discipline in the system or stamping its authority on the game. This if not checked, could hamper the development of our domestic game.

Recently, Berekum Chelsea, after failing to pay WAFA an amount due them in the transfer of Solomon Asante, lost points when Kotoko filed a protest. Kotoko’s protest was in actual fact thrown out because the Disciplinary Committee ruled that Kotoko proceeded on a repealed regulation, which was strange. Kotoko was fined GHc3, 000.

Initially, I wondered why Kotoko could commit such a blunder but in a human institution that wasn’t unheard of. It was therefore necessary to let sleeping dogs lie on that issue. Later upon education by the Disciplinary Committee Chairman, Prosper Harrison Addo, and Lawyer Kweku Eyiah also of the GFA, I fully understood why Kotoko’s protest had no correct foundation.

What I’ve still not understood, despite the Disciplinary Committee’s explanation, is why the committee could dismiss Kotoko’s protest, calling it frivolous yet go on to adjudicate on the substantive issue. Simply put, Kotoko had no case but because Berekum Chelsea had erred for not paying WAFA as expected within a timeframe, the committee ruled that, they be docked points they have earned from match day five or from February 4, 2015.

Berekum Chelsea appealed the Disciplinary Committee’s ruling. Before they came out successfully with that appeal last Thursday, Kotoko and other clubs benefited from Chelsea’s initial loss. Thus Berekum Chelsea first sunk to the bottom of the league table. Kotoko then moved from 13th to 5th position but that changed last Thursday as Berekum Chelsea, having succeeded with their appeal, regained the 13 points they lost, coming back to 5th place.

My beef doesn’t lie necessarily with Berekum Chelsea’s success at the Appeals Committee. In fact, I thought it was cruel for them to lose that number of points since it essentially made them very good candidates for relegation even before the first round ended, although, I could hardly shed tears for them.

 

My beef is actually with why it had to take a club to initiate action against Berekum Chelsea over the Solomon Asante-WAFA saga to trigger an immediate response from the GFA. I stand for correction but does it always have to be so? Is that attitude by the GFA supported by law?

Recently, Hearts of Oak were said to have fielded an excess number of foreign players in a league match against Kotoko. It escaped many eyes but not that of a Premier League Board (PLB) official, Ashford Tetteh Oku, a former Administrative Manager of Hearts of Oak. He noticed that anomaly but never talked about it until it was too late for any protest. Why did he do that? For his selfish interest or in the interest of Ghana football?

The man didn’t do Ghana football any good with that. In case that attitude of ignoring potential disciplinary issues until someone brings it to the FA’s notice is backed by law; I argue that, that law should to be expunged from the books. It has served its usefulness. The earlier we acted in the supreme interest of Ghana football, the better. Discerning football fans are watching.