Accra Sports Stadium back to life but…

The media stand of the renovated Accra Sports Stadium 

The number one stadium in the capital, the Accra Sports Stadium was opened on Sunday evening after months of renovation that saw reconstruction touches on practically every facet of the facility which last saw similar construction works ten years ago.  

There had been doubts as to whether the stadium will be ready for the 2018 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations which kicks off in Ghana this weekend. Having hosted the friendly match between the Black Queens of Ghana and the Bayana Bayana of South Africa (beating them by a lone goal); it’s all right to conclude that doubts over the readiness of the stadium have been dispelled.

My Observations

Going in to check on a number of things prior to the Ghana-South Africa friendly, it came as a surprise to me that, the urinals and toilets at the stadium were locked. There was no official to explain this. My plausible assumption was that, they haven’t finished works there otherwise it made no sense to me to have them shut that moment.

What caught the fascination of most journalists at the stadium is the brilliant change at the media stand, where cubicles with swivel chairs have been provided – a marked departure from the badly constructed yellow wooden slabs that were there. While I appreciate the beauty of the cubicles, they will be of little use because one can hardly see the pitch while in the cubicles.

The black swivel chairs are nice but the frontage of the cubicles ought to be removed. It impedes viewing. You can’t see the pitch from the cubicle even if you have good height like I do. Moving on to the scoreboard, it worked well so as the floodlights. If they were put on test, then they passed the test.

The pitch wasn’t as green as seen in the pictures posted on the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ Facebook page. The patches of brown and black – showing black soil were obvious. I’m no technical person when it comes to managing pitches but it seems to me that, the grass were mowed too low.

The stands looked fresh with their polished red and yellow seats. The ripped ones are however yet to be replaced; there were noticeable empty spaces. The spaces will later have their seats. The roofing (over the VIP and media stands) that was visibly rusting have also been be changed and it looked strong. Any frequent visitor to the stadium will see the transformational work.

Maintenance Culture

Fears are however strong that, we can’t keep the facility from deteriorating in view of our poor maintenance culture, which saw us leaving the stadium to ‘rot’ in the last decade. Why we will spend our scarce financial resources on a stadium and leave it to ruins – with no proper care only means that, we love to waste resources. That’s bad!

I can only hope that, this time, there will be proper management of the facility as with time and usage, there will be wear and tear, which is very normal. We don’t have to come back in the next few years to renovate the complete structure. We’ve got to learn how to take proper care of things put in our custody.

One for Elmina Sharks’ management

I was totally appalled by the news this week that, the match day eight Ghana Premier League fixture between Elmina Sharks and Medeama at the Nduom Stadium on Wednesday ended abruptly.

Referee Nuhu Liman sustained a head injury which didn’t allow him to continue the game. An eyewitness account given by Assistant Referee, Joseph Sey on Nhyira FM and the story told by the Chairman of the Referees Association of Ghana (RAG), Joe Debrah on Okokroko FM, indicate that, Referee Nuhu was hit by a stone apparently thrown by an incensed Elmina Sharks fan.

Elmina Sharks have denied that claim. In what has been termed as a ridiculously weak explanation of what happened to the referee, Elmina Sharks, in a statement signed by their Assistant Team Manager, Kelvin Aboagye Yeboah, said the referee “tripped and fell” on a policeman’s baton.

A colleague has described me as a puritan – holier than thou – for attempting to expose the irrationality imbedded in Elmina Sharks’ statement. I can always ignore insults. They are inherently unproductive. Let me also state my admiration of Elmina Sharks, who are a well-structured, generally professional club.

And far from being judgmental (I have no power to do so), it has to be said unequivocally that, Elmina Sharks insulted the intelligence of Ghana Premier League fans with their narrative on the incident. I’m sorry but they ridiculed us while being insensitive to Referee Nuhu.

Granted that Elmina Sharks’ management didn’t to want accept guilt; because they did nothing wrong and that, there has been no investigation into what happened to irrefutably prove their culpability; all they needed to do, in my view, was to either sympathise with Referee Nuhu, at least following his head injury (even if he tripped and fell as they claim) or better still remain mute until the GFA’s Disciplinary Committee establishes their guilt or innocence.

Groupe Nduom and Elmina Sharks have stood for something nice, something decent; something positive, something productive – in practically everything they have been associated with including football. It’s the reason we must point to Elmina Sharks that, they didn’t help their image and Ghana football with that statement.

I won’t go into the incident. The GFA’s Disciplinary Committee will competently do that. The committee is however advised not to delay with its judgement on whoever is guilty or innocent; in order to inspire more confidence in the system. Delays as seen in the past in matters like this aren’t helpful.

It’s appropriate now to wish Referee Nuhu speedy recovery and further admonish the GFA, clubs, the Police and all stakeholders to work to protect referees while ensuring the safety of lives and properties at match venues. It’s important we do that as we seek to develop the game.

In the maze of Dreams FC's victory

Love or hate it, Dreams Football Club is an emerging football brand that’s leaving very good impressions on the minds of those who care to take good notice of all that the club has been up to since its return to the Ghanaian Premier League and even before.

From the off-season to the season proper, the conduct of Dreams FC in the Ghana Premier League, continuous to earn it more admirers and that, isn’t wouldn’t change now as managers of the club are in no mood to lower the standards that have given us the respect we have in the eyes of right-thinking football fans in the country. But as it’s in real life, good brands often and needlessly become the envy of those who aren’t ready to accept it, either because of their own inadequacies or that, they just don’t like you. Dreams FC can deal with both scenarios. Yes, it can.

In the past few weeks, watching the conduct of both Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko in matches involving Dreams FC, I’m almost coming to the conclusion that, the two clubs, who undoubtedly command the biggest following in Ghana football, are becoming very intolerant of Dreams FC. Why?

The reasons are not difficult to find. Without fear of contradiction, Hearts and Kotoko have had distressful managerial issues in recent years thus contributing painfully to their slumber on and off the field. While Hearts of Oak appear to be gearing up to wash their ‘dark’ managerial cloak, there seems to be little or no hope for Kotoko, whose skeletal management has offered scanty hope for their fans so far.

This feeling of hopelessness within the ranks of some Hearts and Kotoko fans, is making them see Dreams FC, who are charting a brilliant managerial path, as an easy target for cheap, meaningless mudslinging. They won’t succeed.

When Hearts hosted Dreams FC in Cape Coast on match day four, Dreams FC players were subjected to senseless acts of maltreatment including denying them access to their changing room upon arrival at the venue. Hearts of Oak won 1-0 after the stern competition Dreams FC gave them.

Some of their fans strangely reported that, Dreams FC rather intimidated their team. Perhaps it was tactical intimidation on the turf or that Dreams FC’s corporate image intimidated them, otherwise, the most reasonable conclusion to draw is that, something is fundamentally wrong with Hearts of Oak of today, so much that they get upset at the sight of Dreams FC.

Enter Kotoko on match day seven. Unlike Hearts, they were beaten 1-0 by Dreams FC. Their officials have been running to the media also complaining of intimidation. You can dismiss that report because Kotoko was evidently overpowered at Dawu.

It’s unfortunate that, Kotoko Chairman, Dr. Kwame Kyei suffered the embarrassment of having to be delayed at the main gate to the venue because Kotoko operatives who had his ticket and car pass were not immediately available when he arrived.

Dreams FC’s Administrative Manager, Ameenu Shardow, coming in to ensure that, the Kotoko leader, eventually had unhindered access to the venue vindicates the position that, we aren’t interested in doing things that tarnish our reputation and surely the image of Ghana football.

Why Kotoko’s twitter handle hastily reported that, Dr. Kyei was denied access and my friend; photojournalist, Gideon Boakye Botwe, also prevented from his doing his work, confirmed their eagerness to make Dreams FC look bad but they failed.

In case the handlers of Kotoko’s twitter account don’t know, let them be reminded that, their over-enthusiastic, outrageously eccentric conduct on Sunday, did no good service to Kotoko’s reputation. Dreams FC, being who we are, will not resort to violence to win matches because the price we will pay for that will be too costly.

As a professional football club, Dreams FC stand firmly by the best practices in the game and that’s what we will employ to contend with any club or any football brand in the Ghana Premier League. This shouldn’t be difficult for Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko to accept. Dreams FC respect them for who they are. They should accord Dreams FC the same respect.

Rogues at the gates of Len Clay Stadium

Match day five fixtures of the 2017/18 Ghana Premier League were honoured as scheduled with very interesting results recorded at venues like Obuasi and Berekum. The 3-0 humbling of Hearts of Oak by Berekum Chelsea rudely reminded the Phobians that, they aren’t out of their difficulties yet.

Ashgold fortified their place on top of the league table with an emphatic 2-0 victory over Kotoko, many of whose supporters, are also yet to come to full grasp of the incompetence of the current Management.

We can shelve that matter for another day. But then, for the umpteen time, an Ashgold-Kotoko game at the Len Clay Stadium, saw journalists accredited by the Ghana Football Association (GFA), being insulted and manhandled without any justification by agents of Ashgold, who can best be described as rogues.

The Obuasi venue has seen primitive, dehumanising behaviour at the gates for years. It leaves me wonder if Ashgold as a club truly care about the lives of journalists who cover their matches at home.

If Ashgold’s leadership aren’t worried about the slur the conduct of those miscreants at their gates casts on the club’s reputation and the overall image of the Ghana Premier League; their human predispositions should tell them that, the risk journalists experience at their gates are totally unjustified. Our lives matter.

While clubs like Dreams FC are building fantastic reputation of giving journalists access to their rightful, designated places at Dawu; providing free internet service, food and drinks; as they undertake their legitimate business; agents of Ashgold prefer to shamelessly throw punches at accredited journalists.

On match day four last season, same Ashgold-Kotoko game, it happened. Journalists with the GFA’s media accreditation were thrown out. Not even police personnel detailed at the venue could stop the mindless thugs they employ. That was the fifth consecutive time, I had seen waywardness at Ashgold’s gates.

Incidents of journalists being maltreated at venues like Obuasi are disgraceful. Colleagues reported that, Sunday’s incident actually happened in the presence of Ashgold’s CEO. The GFA’s repeated condemnation of those acts at Obuasi are all right but not enough. We have had too many of them in recent years.

GFA spokesman, Ibrahim Sannie Daara has apologised to the media for Sunday’s incident, promising to look into the matter but that’s a story we’ve been told every season. Let the GFA note that, the negative reportage we all hate to see about the Ghana Premier League, often starts with their failure to adequately punish the awry, outrageous conduct of clubs and their officials.

It makes no sense for journalists to travel on our dangerous roads for hours and for hundreds of kilometres to venues like Obuasi, only to be senselessly assaulted at rogues at the gates. Let the GFA and club managers watch these acts, for, they all combine to destroy the image of the Ghana Premier League.

It was close contest on GPL match day four

If you didn’t find anything interesting on match day four of the 2017/18 Ghana Premier League, you certainly didn’t follow the matches played across the country from Saturday. It may still be early days but on match day four, I saw an intense competition for points.

At the end of the day, the league table reveals a keen contest so far. Except leaders Ashgold who have 10 points; WAFA, Hearts of Oak, Asante Kotoko, Dreams FC and Medeama – all have seven points. They are only separated by goals and even with that, the numbers are very close. Inter Allies are 7th on the table with six points while debutants Eleven Wonders are 8th with five points.

From the 9th to 14th place, all the teams have 4 points. Match day five surely will be explosive. Here’s my wrap of the weekend’s matches starting on Saturday. Ashgold couldn’t continue their winning streak. Bechem United applied the brakes on them as they drew 1-1 at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

The draw by Ashgold gave me indications that, their form hasn’t been as sharp as I imagined. If WAFA were brilliant on match days two and three, beating Liberty and Aduana Stars 3-0 and 2-0 at Dansoman and Sogakope respectively; they weren’t impressive on match day four.

WAFA’s shine was missing on Saturday night. Elmina Sharks’ 2-0 win over them reinforced the often-held view that, WAFA are bad travelers. The floodlights going off after 68 minutes in the Sharks-WAFA game was damper to the action that was building up to the end of proceedings.

Nonetheless, electricity restored and Elmina Sharks went on to bad their first three points in the season. Pressure will ease on the back of Elmina Sharks coach, Yaw Acheampong.

Aduana Stars’ 6-0 pummeling of Inter Allies re-established the inherent quality of midfielder, Yahaya Mohammed, who scored a hat trick in 30 minutes. The result also fortified the notion that, Aduana Stars are just good at home.

Hearts of Oak took their chance against Dreams FC winning 1-0 at their new home, Cape Coast. I’m however not convinced that, Hearts have hit good form, and Dreams FC will bounce back on match day five. Liberty Professionals’ difficulty with winning was apparent again at Dansoman.

Their failure to score a penalty made Medeama return to Tarkwa with a point from the 1-1 draw. Liberty would have to dig deep and start winning before relegation beckons. Coach Johnson Smith had his first win with Karela United, who Ebusua Dwarfs 3-0. Dwarfs’ coach, Bashir Hyaford accused his goalkeeper, Frank Andoh of gifting Karela United goals.

Don’t you like Bashir Hayford’s takes on matches? Asante Kotoko returned from Tarkwa on match day three crying foul of cheating. Interestingly, Eleven Wonders left Kumasi with the same accusations of cheating against Kotoko and the referee because Wonders’ late-minute goal was disallowed. With Jordan Opoku’s 83rd minute fortuitous strike, Kotoko won 1-0.

Wa All Stars were victorious in their first game after they sacked coach, Mumuni Sokpari. Was Coach Sokpari the reason for Wa All Stars inability to win previous matches? I can’t answer that now.

Fussing and fighting over GPL’s reputation

If you are new to some of the local media commentaries on the reputation of the Ghana Premier League (GPL), you may easily assume that, some commentators have personal problems with the Ghana Football Association (GFA). Their discourse especially in the electronic media can get so vitriolic that, you can mistakenly think that, they want to see the GPL in tatters. They say it’s just passion for the GPL.

Pardon me if this is a naïve assumption but I’m so doubtful that, there are indeed sections of the local media, who actually want the GPL and GFA to fail. In my opinion, regardless of how local media houses pay particular attention to European leagues for all the good reasons that are usually cited (like the fact that the English Premier League for instance has massive following in Ghana, so it makes business sense to spend airtime on it); it’s still undeniable that, a thriving GPL will be very helpful to the local media.

So, why would the local media seek the downfall of the failure of the GPL? I have and will continuously hold the view that, negativity in the GPL has never been the creation of the local media. Excuse my ignorance; from how I look at things, I’m yet to come across any local media house that deliberately fabricates and broadcasts negative stories about the GPL with the sole objective of making it look ugly.

The current season is so young but we’ve had a healthy competition. As a result, I wouldn’t want to recount specific examples of incidents that in the past impaired the reputation of the GPL. This season, despite the court litigation that delayed the start of the GPL, the Premier League Board (PLB) and the GFA have taken certain pivotal steps to enhance the GPL’s reputation. Nothing is too small in my view.

The criticism of the beauty of the GPL’s logo notwithstanding, I was for example happy that, at long last, the competition was given an identity at that level. Print media houses, online and television outlets have all been using the GPL logo which leaves an imprint on the minds of people once they see it.

Broadcast right holders, StarTimes earlier on created a bit of storm with their live match schedule. Yet StarTimes’ coverage has been fine. Clubs like Dreams FC, WAFA, Hearts, Inter Allies, Elmina Sharks and Karela United have been doing decent media coverage of their activities; that, in my view, is steadily contributing to enhancing the GPL’s reputation. The local media can only mirror that.

The thought, then, is that, if club managers with the PLB/GFA will take positive strides at their level; the tendency for the local media to report the good strides will be high. The onus therefore lies not really on the local media to create positive GPL stories. For me, the responsibility rather lies heavily on club managers and the GFA to employ the right practices in their scheme of things.

The local media has its role but that doesn’t include running clubs professionally or taking decisions at the GFA. So, the fussing and fighting over the GPL’s reputation must stop. Nobody hates the GPL. A decent GPL will benefit clubs, fans, the local media and the GFA.

Major stakeholders like clubs and the FA must just to sit up. They should direct their energies towards the continuous adherence, fair and timely enforcement of rules set for the competition. They should look for professional, innovative ways of managing the brands at their disposal, because, it’s the aggregation of their individual efforts wherever they are that combine to enhance the GPL’s reputation.

The changes in Asante Kotoko technical

Coach Steven Polack and Godwin Ablordey

I’m one unashamed critic of poor managerial structures at football clubs in Ghana. I’m convinced beyond reasonable doubt that, the absence of documented development plans at most of our clubs is one of the biggest disservice club owners and managers in the country are doing to all stakeholders of the game.

It’s in fact, one of the major contributing factors to the largely under-developed nature of our domestic leagues. Having comprehensive plans for the growth of our clubs and seeing to the successful implementation of these plans will have a telling effect on the looks of our clubs and leagues.

That’s why I was moved by the report that, Kotoko have made changes in their technical team. First, the Management must be commended. The changes are in line with the “Vision of the club’s Management to restructure, strengthen and sharpen the focus of [the] senior and developmental teams” I read.

That’s impressive. Team Manager, and CAF License ‘A’ Coach, Godwin Ablordey is the new Technical Director of the Youth Team. Former Kotoko captain, Henry Ohene Brenya is the new Team Manager. Steven Polack maintains Head Coach position with his Akakpo Patron, also a former Kotoko player, as his Assistant. Another former player, Stephen Oduro is the Welfare Manager.

For a club that lacked firm technical direction at some point last season, the changes should be seen as healthy. In terms of managerial experience, questions can be asked as to how Ohene Brenya and Stephen Oduro will fare in their new fields but given their rich knowledge of Kotoko as ex-players, they shouldn’t have problems in their respective offices.

For me, regardless of how poor the Management handled Coach Michael Osei’s case last season, when he was sent to the Youth Team, I insist that, Mickey should have taken the job not alone to prove a point, but also, I had the premonition that, Zdravko Logarusic wasn’t going to stay on for long, and that, Mickey definitely would’ve been recalled.

I chipped in that to explain my position that, Godwin Ablordey must graciously accept his new portfolio and work assiduously on the club’s youth team. It has to be pointed out however, that, if Ablordey will be successful, much will depend on the sort of direction the Management offers in formulating tried and tested youth development policies for his department, which is crucial.

On the surface, Ablordey, Oduro, Brenya and Kotoko as a whole, have everything to succeed. What I’m not convinced of is the level of support they would receive from the Management, which so far, hasn’t demonstrated the right administrative shrewdness – that is, the thinking and planning needed to return the mighty Asante Kotoko to the top echelons of African club football.

The Management’s mandate in November 2016 was clear: “To reshape the administrative structure of the club to infuse professionalism and competence at all levels of its operations…To consolidate the position of Kotoko at the top of the domestic league and advance further to take its rightful place among the elite clubs of continental African soccer”.

This certainly can’t be achieved in a year. And it can conveniently be said that, there’s still more time. The plain truth is, administratively, there hasn’t been enough evidence to be sure that, Kotoko can compete favourably on the continent any time soon. Changes in the administrative setup and pragmatic proof of the direction the club is being taken to will also be helpful ahead of the new season.

An Ode to Soulama Abdoulaye

All that enters time’s space leaves at a time

Day, night comes; none takes other’s place

Evening precedes noon at its time and pace

After night surely comes day with no space

The smiling sun shines bright at day

The moon brightens the dark at night

So light and stars don’t dim anyhow

They have reasons and seasons

Thus, times come when one has to bow

To bow in joy no matter the pain is gain

No gain comes without pain; so, it has

Been for the true son of Burkina Faso

Soulama Abdoulaye; Soulama Abdoulaye

Truly committed; respected national goalie

One-time best goalie in Ghana; certainly

One that Burkina-Ghana sees as reliable

Ghana-Burkina has good ties

Ties as friendly neighbours no doubt

Many things we doth share and like

Not least, our pure love for football

A sport in which we abound in talents  

No wonder we train and trade the talents 

For gain and never for loss at any hour

For sports, for competition and power

For pride and joy; for glory and honour

Soulama in all you excelled at Kotoko

2007/08 season you first burst onto the scene

Six seasons, seven years in serious service

Your good and bad days our eyes could see

In all you did Kotoko and football fine service

When you were unbeatable and unstoppable

When you were supreme and knew no fall

When you were strong like China’s great wall

All that we loved and shared; now we recall

Ties that bind usually are painful to severe

Here I come to you with a poem to serve 

Soulama, Soulama, Soulama

You serve well Kotoko in all seasons

I know not how my poem will look

I trust thee that you will remain good    

 

My invitation to the Ethics Committee

Referee Issaka Afful in Medeama-Kotoko match. 

Not that I’m a perfectionist. I’ve never wanted to be. I don’t want everything to be perfect with me. That’s not possible but last Thursday, I was hurt; I was emotionally bruised sitting in front of the Ghana Football Association (GFA)’s Ethics Committee.

I can’t explain my feeling but thinking through it, I suspect my own standards pronounced a guilty verdict on me before the committee sitting. Not even the calmness and the palpable  show of maturity and respect by the committee altered the morose feeling I had within. Again, I’m not perfect. I won’t boast but I’ve to say that I try with difficulty to be honest to myself.

People ought to be responsible and be ready to provide evidence to substantiate claims they make on anything. Having lived with that conviction, how I was going to be comfortable, sitting in front of the Ethics Committee and not having enough material to authenticate my position that, to win matches in the Ghana Premier League, you have to bribe referees.

The above was so avoidable. That remark, made on a Kumasi based radio station, is what compelled the esteemed Ethics Committee to invite me, to help them rid the game of corruption. Based upon my conviction, I say that, it’s one thing drawing a conclusion with strong feelings and observations, and a totally different thing, having hardcore evidence.

Not that I haven’t known the foregoing. I actually know it, except that, Referee Issaka Afful’s awful performance in the Medeama-Kotoko match at Tarkwa pushed me to say something I wouldn’t have admitted if someone else had said it. At the Ethics Committee, aspects of the audio recording was played to my hearing. I neither doubted the audio nor its content.

I however had to explain my claim. Events which characterised that match day ten league fixture, which Kotoko lost 2-1, were difficult to understand. I told the committee of how our Accra Representative and Premier League Board (PLB) member, Thomas Boakye Agyeman was slapped by a Medeama operative for no justifiable cause.

I recounted how our photojournalist, Gideon Boakye Botwe was barred from the match despite having the GFA’s media accreditation card. I also mentioned Referee Afful’s dubious penalty to Medeama. I recalled how the referee allowed play to continue for three minutes when Michael Akuffu lied on the pitch injured. One of our medical personnel, sensing danger, rushed onto the pitch to save the player’s life only to be given the marching off orders by the referee.

These developments, especially the referee’s behaviour baffled me. My claim was that, the referee’s attitude was unfathomable. If he hadn’t been financially influenced to cheat us, his level of incompetence was incomprehensible. The committee disagreed. I made a categorical statement, which couldn’t be justified, they said. I couldn’t say anything to the contrary. They were better positioned to determine what’s right and wrong upon my explanation.  

They admitted the challenges our game is facing. Those challenges would however be compounded if unguarded statements would be made by people who should know better, said the committee members who took turns to advise me. Their advice hit me in the face although they weren’t harsh. I’ve a confession. The Ethics Committee we hear of in the media, isn’t the Ethics Committee I met.

This is a committee that radiates maturity and respect. Of course, that’s the GFA’s Ethics Committee. We can’t expect less. Presentations by the fine personalities I met, left me in no doubt that, inside the GFA’s corridors, there are good things we don’t know or hear. Maybe, I had to appear before the Ethics Committee to come back and say this or learn more.  

Some of our views on the FA, its personnel and operations are often ill-informed. Thomas Boakye Agyeman and NCC spokesman, Michael Nkansah, who were there with me, spoke of how I’ve often backed the PLB on the development of the domestic league. I won’t change. Going forward, I will be more circumspect and still be critical of the ills in our game.

I know not what the committee’s decision will be but that lesson, the lesson that, drawing conclusions on feelings and observations are in fact, different, from possessing water-tight, incontrovertible evidence, has been reinforced. I’ve learnt it again. I thank the Ethics Committee.

Clubs for sale: the problem is self-inflicted

Medeama's owners say the team is for sale.

News of Medeama and Berekum Chelsea being up for sale didn’t come as a surprise to me, even though, I found it disappointing that, two good clubs that have been with us for some time, were about folding up, if not giving up the fight for lack of funds.

On a number of the Facebook Pages where I read that news item – shared links – the comments by readers left me more disappointed. The sermons on how Ghana football was collapsing and how many more clubs would soon be sold by their owners dominated what I found to be stained, pessimistic view of Ghana football particularly by young people, who otherwise, should be positive, exuding optimism and critically examining the problem to offer solutions and not constant, caustic criticism that takes us nowhere.

I agree that a lot of things are wrong in Ghana. For instance, I have wondered why a lot of leaders in public service continue to fail at managing the smallest of things put in their care. So I admit that, not many things, including leadership are in a good state of affairs in our beloved country. 

Football and sports in general are no exceptions. There continues to be confounding rows over money for national team players before or after international matches. The various tiers of league football in Ghana are suffering. Clubs can’t pay their players and these same clubs have nothing specific in place to either measure their progress or ensure their survival.

I refuse to talk about the other sporting disciplines. Some of them are in sorrier state than that of football. Yet, in the midst of the dire situation, hopelessness or inconsolably describing the problems doesn’t provide any solution. The solution, in my view, lie in making managers of the game aware of the way out of the pit they have been trapped in.

From where I sit, Ghanaian football clubs are not suffering because there are no straws they can hold onto; they are struggling to survive due to structural deficiencies, lack of policy guidelines or direction, ill-planning, absence of ambition and sheer impatience.

In today’s organised business world, nothing happens by stroke of luck. Institutions in Ghana that are making it in our so-called unfavourable business setting, attribute their successes, no matter how small, to careful planning; absolute faith in their plans and the resolve to execute those plans irrespective of the prevailing economic challenges.

Most of our football clubs are not doing any of the above. I won’t mention names but I ask: How many Ghanaian football clubs in the various upper and lower tier leagues are properly structured? How many have clearly laid out plans – detailing their management structure; their business plan, what they seek to achieve, in what time space and with what personnel?

Elsewhere (and I’m not going to Europe but staying right in Africa), it’s very easy to point to these things, often seen as abstract and irrelevant, yet so important to the survival of football clubs in this modern era. We can for example, identify the successes of some African clubs on the administrative level, the same way we can finger-point their achievements on the pitch.

Is it the same situation in Ghana?

I believe, it’s so easy if not cheap to blame President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi and the organisation he heads, for not providing the required leadership to help our clubs. Assuming that blame is even legitimate, we may have to ask if the GFA, which Kwesi Nyantakyi heads, is a separate entity made up of people, different from those at our various football clubs. Whether or not these people are different; the question that begs an answer is: Season in, season out, do our clubs do anything to better their lot?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Nyantakyi, Nii Lante feud unnecessary

Almost 20 years ago when I started reading newspapers and keenly followed news and current affairs, my favourite sports paper was Kwabena Yeboah, the Writer’s Africa Sports. Aided by my mum, coming by newspapers generally wasn’t difficult. And when I could afford them myself with the money given to me for school, Africa Sports particularly benefited from me.

I was about 15 years. I remember reading independent-minded write-ups by the Writer himself; Kofi Opare-Addo, Karl Tuffour and other writers whose names I’ve forgotten. Later on, articles and stories by Michael Oti Adjei and the late Tony Owusu Amofa became like my lesson notes.

I hardly missed an edition which had the stories and opinion pieces of these two. Those were the days that, I read of Black Star players paying their own airfares to represent Ghana. Those were the days that I read that, the GFA and indeed the Ministry of Youth and Sports couldn’t afford Economy Class tickets for national team players, not to talk of Business Class ones.

Reports of such humiliating stories in Africa Sports were unbiased. The reader would end up learning something new and further, pass informed judgement. No disrespect to the Writer, Kwabena Yeboah; but he’s the only one that can best explain the demise of Africa Sports.

And it’s not only Africa Sports that has been dead. The practice of Black Star players footing the bills of their air trips has as well been dead years back. It’s not difficult to tell you why. Anyone who has closely followed Ghana football over the last two decades will agree without stress that, the current administration at the Ghana Football Association (GFA), led by Kwesi Nyantakyi has done well transforming the Black Stars into a global brand.

Questions over their management of domestic football always come up but under their tenure, the Black Stars have undoubtedly become attractive that, degrading stories of players paying their own airfares ended long ago. But now we are being told that, Dede Ayew would be paying for the air tickets of seven players when they come for the AFCON qualifier against Rwanda.

We’re told that, Sports Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuye says his Ministry doesn’t have the money to carter for the tickets. The Ministry wants to use their limited resources on other things. GFA Spokesman, Ibrahim Sannie Daara told Accra based Happy FM that, some of the players have opted to pay for their teammates. Is that how low and populist we want to be?

Sannie, my senior colleague, ought to know better. Even if that populist decision is right, how long will Dede Ayew be taking up the responsibilities of the state? Let’s face it: We’ve come to this point not because Ghana is so poor that, it can’t fund activities of her senior national team.

We’re here only because of the bad blood between the GFA and the Minister. The Minister and the GFA should spare Ghanaians their name-calling in the media; sit around tables like men; discuss their differences maturely lest their rift would soon hurt our football fatally.

Isn’t it true that, the conflict between the GFA and the Minister takes new dimensions every week? It’s pathetic that, the people caught in this vicious, unnecessary media-war, each trying to look good in the eyes of the public, don’t see the embarrassment they causing the nation.

Leaders must not be mean towards each other when all that’s expected from them are solutions to problems. Please, Hon. Nii Lante Vanderpuye and Kwesi Nyantakyi; you obviously have issues with how things have been handled by either by of you. The public knows it. You can’t hide it. Your feud is unnecessary. The path you have both taken to resolve it isn’t the best. Get over chilled drinks on a table; sit, openly talk; iron out your differences and save Ghana. 

PLB reaction justified

PLB Chairman, Ashford Tettey-Oku with (mic) at an event. 

The Honourable Sports Minister, Nii Lante Vnaderpuye managed to get all of us talking throughout last week about the Ghana Premier League and its attractiveness or otherwise. The Minister, in an interview with Asempa Sports said, the Ghana Premier League wasn’t as attractive as it should be. That view, expressed by the Sports Minister was reported by almost all online news outlets and radio stations nationwide.

I didn’t hear the Minister on Asempa FM making that pronouncement. I however read quotations attributed to him and one of the reports I read didn’t present the Minister’s quotations as clearly as the man put them out, therefore giving the impression that, the Minister made a categorical statement that, our league wasn’t or isn’t attractive.

I’m not here to teach journalism but it’s worthy of note that, we always report or quote authorities appropriately otherwise we run the risk of misinforming, misreporting if not misrepresenting these authorities to create wrong impressions for our audience. Having made this point, let me move on to address the substantive issue.

For many, once the honourable Minister didn’t make a blanket statement that, our league is unattractive, it was rash for the Premier League Board (PLB) to respond with their lengthy press release; detailing why the Minister was palpably. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kwesi Nyantakyi subsequently in a Starr FM interview reacted to the Minister’s claim among other issues, saying that, Hon. Nii Lante’s remark was unjustifiable.

In my view, the PLB didn’t rash. Their quick response was necessary. Their brand, no matter how it is, had been unfairly touched – perhaps by the premier sports authority in the country and that, any remark by such authority, particularly if it was disapproving couldn’t be glossed over. That’s why I see the PLB’s immediate response as one that was good and timely.

“Any enthusiastic follower of the Ghana Premier League will firmly disagree with the Minister's claim that the league is unappealing. The PLB wishes to put on record for the information of the Honourable Sports Minister that, the GPL is the most attractive sporting product in the country, in terms of organisation, quality, patronage and media coverage” said the PLB’s statement.

“As the torchbearer of sports development in Ghana, the PLB expects the Minister's public comments to inspire investor-confidence in football” it added. I will reiterate that point. No matter how genuine the Minister’s observation was (and still is), his remarks, because of the high office he occupies, should be the type that do not impair the image of our league.

As the PLB noted, a good part of revenue from league matches are paid to the Sports Ministry through the National Sports Authority (NSA) which the NSA normally use to maintain the various stadia in the country besides funding some of their events and activities. Therefore, the best well-placed people like the Minister should do must be to help make the league better. In that regard, the mutual benefits will be bigger. 

Knowing the challenges the GPL face vis-à-vis the strenuous efforts football clubs in the country have been making to survive; I will be the last person to say that, the current situation is desirable. It’s not. Yet if I have anything to offer to improve the situation, mine would be to make outsiders see the good attempts our clubs are making and why they need more support.

It’s now so common to find people who claim to be passionate about the domestic league making so much noise about the fact that, our Premier League has no headline sponsor. They say that to give the impression that, without sponsorship, our league is a useless competition.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t report or comment on the good things absent in our league. I’m only arguing that, we serve no one’s interest but rather destroy what’s already in our hands anytime we become so caustic about league, to the extent that, some people can’t see anything good in or about our competition.

Again, I’m not saying we should glorify mediocrity. I’m rather reminding us, in conclusion that, with how far we have come; there’s more we can do if we remain optimistic about our league. 

Anti-violence crusade…

Police vehicle waiting for referees at the stadium 

It’s not for nothing that in the past two weeks, management’s corner, published every Friday in this paper has focused on hooliganism. I’m not part of management but reading the two articles, the second part of which published last Friday, it’s been easy to observe management’s abhorrence for acts that bring the name and image of the game into shame.

How ironic that at a time when management has been preaching peace and also condemning hooliganism with vehemence, some supporters, obviously disappointed with refereeing decisions have been showing their frustration and anger in an unacceptable way.

Prior to the acts that characterised the aftermath of the Kotoko-Aduana Stars match, some disgruntled supporters roughened journalists at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, apparently for expressing a divergent view on a decision by the referee in the Kotoko-Dreams FC match.

Management issued a press release to condemn the attack on the journalists and there were media reports indicating that, the fans who allegedly attacked the journalists have been arrested by the Kumasi Police. It’s always and naturally difficult talking about a wrongdoing doing when friends or relatives are involved yet it’s important we remind ourselves that, lives are precious and state property should be protected.

No decent, civilised society endorse violence. Like management reiterated in their article, football can’t thrive on violence. Football is to entertain us and while we derive fun from it, we shouldn’t forget that, football has also become big business and that hooliganism has the potential of killing both the fun and business that football offers people.

Through football, hundreds if not thousands of young men and women who would have hopelessly been on street, have been employed even if their wages or salaries are nothing to write home about. Our Premier League, for example, has 16 teams competing. By the Ghana Football Association (GFA)’s directive, each of the 16 clubs register 30 players.

That gives us 480 active young men training and playing over nine months every year.

Do we know what would have happened to these young men if there was no football in Ghana? Each of the 16 teams also have coaches and technical assistants – undertaking different assignments. The teams, in addition, have people at their secretariats; drivers, security men and many other people tasked with jobs that, no matter how meagre their salaries are, they go home with something that supports their lives one way or the other.

This is why anything that has the capacity to destroy football like violence shouldn’t be entertained. We should at all times resist the temptation to express our displeasure violently. Violence never pays. Where violence lives, there’s always harm and destruction.

While preaching against violence, it’s necessary that, refereeing issues are as well given attention. Cheating, unfairness and injustice breed violence in any human environment. Where and when people feel cheated or unfairly treated; they are bound to show their dissatisfaction in any means possible particularly when they lack the power to take on authority the appropriate way.

We shouldn’t forget that, not all of us would react gently in the face of provocation or injustice. Referees have a duty to be fair. It hurts when teams prepare with hopes of winning only to lose not as a result of bad performance but a referee's ill-judgement.

Some referees are bad. I’m often left to wonder if they purposely underperform or that, they are just incompetent. I will refrain from mentioning names but our referees seriously need to be professional. I have seen Kotoko supporters applauding referees and damning their players in times of defeat; that’s to tell you that, football fans just don’t wake up to show their frustration and anger at referees.

Kotoko have lost matches at home his season yet there were no acts of hooliganism. I charge every Kotoko supporter to shun violence; please resist the temptation to be violent. Encourage others to be of good behaviour at the stadium or any other public place. Let’s all play our role effectively to derive the best from football. Let’s not take the law into our own hands. Let’s be law-abiding people; let’s stay away from violence at the stadium. Let’s cheer our team and enjoy the game. 

It isn’t cooked food yet

Kotoko players celebrate their win over Liberty at Dansoman. 

In my last write-up, I talked about how the 2015/16 Premier League was nowhere near closure and why it was just too early for supporters of any of the top four teams to start celebrating.

I went further on radio to share why I felt Kotoko were still in the reckoning and indeed, why I was also convinced that, quality-wise, Hearts of Oak were no better than Kotoko and that, should Kotoko start winning, pressure would mount more on any of the top three teams.

People with sympathies for Hearts of Oak didn’t like my submissions on Asempa Sports. Some wondered why I could describe Hearts as poor when on the league table, they were and are still well-placed than Kotoko. It’s fair for people to always disagree with you on the basis of statistics but statistics no matter what they show are not sacrosanct.

Good pundits often look beyond statistics and also suppress their sentiments. They focus on what the statistics may not be revealing to simple minds. I was quite confident of Kotoko being convincing at Dansoman after the Dreams FC struggle, not only because I work for Kotoko but also because I had seen the potential of the team and could vouch for their comeback.

Kotoko haven’t been so convincing but in terms of performance, the team isn’t as weak as some want us to believe. Again, given the difficulties the team faced at the beginning of the season and how their recovery to, for example, place second at the end of the first round, it was in order to believe that, once the coaches and players accept criticisms, and work seriously on their faults, bouncing back was only natural.

And guess what? Isn’t it intriguing that, a team that was ridiculed in every available media space in the country at the end of match day six (when Kotoko were 16th) are now hot title contenders? What were the other teams doing when Kotoko was struggling? The answer to that question is quite simple.

The other teams no matter their strength and quality, normally don’t come up to our standard. For me, you will be naïve if not ignorant of trends in our Premier League to write off Kotoko as a likely winner of this season’s competition. That doesn’t mean the Porcupines have arrived yet.

From where I sit, we don’t have a cooked food yet. We seem to have had our ingredients right and the preparation as well as the boiling of our food went well at Dansoman against Liberty Professionals as we secured an emphatic 2-0 win but there are six more matches to be played.

The amount of work left is huge with as the six matches left have the potential to determine our fate. The first among these matches is the date with Aduana Stars on Wednesday. The remaining matches – Hasaacas, Berekum Chelsea, Medeama, Ashgold and WAFA will all be difficult encounters; let’s not deceive ourselves. It’s the more reason we must win when we have the chance to do so. Victory against Aduana Stars will add so much to our ambition.

The remaining matches are what my colleague, Kofi Achampong has termed as title winning matches. I have no fear whatsoever that, all things being equal, the Porcupines can battle all the teams mentioned above to triumph. They must do exactly that to make in the last days of the competition more thrilling.

I’m of the opinion that, it’s all right to commend the players for their impressive show at Dansoman but please, let’s get back to work immediately. We have an unfinished business, which is to perform well, win and overtake teams ahead of us on the league table. We can’t compromise on that or our desire to be champions.

What’s important is winning even though we just can’t do away with enjoying the good feeling that comes with sweet victories like the one at Dansoman. We have to cut short the celebration and spend time reviewing the game; looking back on all that went on with the objective of correcting our mistakes and improving. When that’s done, we will celebrate more soon.

Title race far from over

Frank Sarfo Gyamfi soars above all in Dreams FC's defence. 

Kotoko's victory over Dreams FC in Kumasi on Sunday have sparked a litany of arguments over whether or not Referee Nathan Anafo who handled the match was fair. There have been questions over the so-called soft penalty he awarded Kotoko in the last minutes of the game. 

I don’t know what a soft penalty is. What I know is that, there is too much hypocrisy in our system. Until, you become a victim of poor officiating, you wouldn’t know what it’s when other club officials are complaining about referees’ bad performance.

Referee Nathan Anafo exercised good judgement at that crucial moment. He should be commended instead of being condemned. Now, the results of the weekend’s matches have given weight to remarks that, the league competition is far from over. First of all, Hearts were humiliated by WAFA; Wa All Stars posted a convincing win over Bechem United; Aduana Stars lost away to Sekondi Hasaacas and as mentioned earlier, Kotoko beat Dreams FC.

WAFA’s thrashing of Hearts of Oak at Sogakope wasn’t the least surprising. I had predicted elsewhere that, there was no way the Phobians would return from WAFA’s base unscathed, especially when the academy side has proven almost impregnable on their artificial turf at home. In addition to that, Hearts, despite having more points and also being well-placed, haven’t been playing well and as a result, I had seen their downfall at Sogakope.   

Hearts’ loss was good for Kotoko especially when we earned a hard 1-0 victory at home to Dreams FC. The win completed the double over the league’s new boys besides giving Kotoko the chance to close in on teams that have taken a fine lead on the league table. Wa All Stars, who have actually been in and out of the first position this season, dislodged Hearts with their emphatic 2-0 triumph in their date with Bechem United.

Aduana Stars, even in the 2009/10 season when they were league winners, didn’t appear strong outside their hostile Dormaa Park. Therefore, Aduana Stars’ 2-1 fall in Sekondi was nothing surprising too. In consequence, the results, recorded by Wa All Stars, Hearts of Oak, Aduana Stars and Kotoko, for me, opens the race for the league title a little wider.

It will be interesting to see the results of match day 24 fixtures. On Saturday, we will be in Dansoman, Accra against Liberty Professionals who are presently 8th on the table. Liberty’s position matters not, since they have lately proven to be a thorn in Kotoko’s flesh.

Last season, Liberty hammered Kotoko 3-1 at Dansoman after we had taken an early lead.

It was a painful defeat particularly when we had shown positive signs in the early minutes.

I’m hopeful that, Kotoko will this time battle Liberty victoriously to enhance our chances of winning the league title which is still within reach. Those who dared called this season’s league for Hearts are quickly revising their scripts. They must because Kotoko aren’t giving up.  

Our team just have to lift their performance. Things have to change. We need to win our matches. We need to progress. The so-called virgin trophy unveiled by the Premier League Board (PLB) last Thursday can be in our trophy cabinet in Kumasi if we double our effort. Between now and September when the league will end, there will more movements.

Definitely some teams will lose while others win. There will be wins and losses to ensure these movements on the league table. It’s my fervent wish that, Kotoko’s movement will be upwards and that, we will be crowned champions eventually. What a reward that would be for Coach Michael Osei and his team given the kind of season they have had. Anything is possible. The team needs to work hard. Their hard work will surely pay off.

Patch your differences GFA, Sports Minister

Sports Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuye and GFA President, Kwesi Nyantakyi

A couple of weeks back, colleague journalist, Tophic Abdul Kadir Seinu posted on his Facebook wall a photo of Sports Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuye and Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kwesi Nyantakyi that created a storm. To many, the picture, published with this article, summed up the tension brewing between the Minister and the GFA.

When I first saw it, I felt that indeed relations between the Minister and the FA President was indeed worsening as their facial expressions and the unoccupied seat in between them gave them away as people not on good terms. I shared the picture on my wall, writing that, with their sullen looks, they might have felt bad watching the Black Satellites fail in their bid to qualify for the African Youth Championship in their game against Senegal.

Commentaries on my post suggested to me as pretending not to know the rift between the Sports Minister and the GFA President. That was allowed but then I couldn’t have used that photo, taken at the VIP Stand of the newly built Cape Coast Sports Stadium, as the premise to conclude that, there’s uneasy calm between the Sports Minister and the GFA President.

Thank God the Minister subsequently came out, saying that, the picture actually gave the wrong impression since there was someone in between him and the GFA President; who was clearly not in his seat when the picture was being taken. The Minister’s explanation is fair. Yet it doesn’t negate the strong public perception that, his Ministry and the GFA have had differences over certain issues.

Numerous explanations have been given by the Minister on the issues that have divided them; particularly regarding the handling of the Black Stars – their friendly matches and the seemingly never-ending bonus matters. On the GFA’s side, spokesman, Ibrahim Sannie Daara and the admirable Vice President, George Afriyie have also been shedding light on the issues.

However, with new angles being introduced to the so-called rift every week, it’s all right to assume that, we may not have seen the end of this unhealthy conflict. Ghanaians don’t need the Sports Ministry and the GFA to be at loggerheads. I won’t go into what the issues seem to have set the Minister and GFA on ‘warpath’ but I say without fear or favour that, it’s not in Ghana’s interest to have the two bodies ‘fighting’ for instance over who owns the Black Stars.

Pardon my ignorance, if I’m being ill-informed but how can the senior national team or our national teams be owned by the GFA? How? At best, as the body mandated to manage the country’s football, the GFA, can only be managers of the national teams – not owners!

Ghana sports is faced with too many problems. Our football has its unique challenges. That’s why whether as the GFA or the Sports Ministry, time and attention should be devoted to solving these problems or challenges, not continuously arguing in the media over issues that shouldn’t take an hour to solve at the Board room.

I have liked the Sports Minister not only because I listened and loved his radio commentaries as a teenage football fan back in Koforidua but also because I have heard him speak with clearness besides acting with some forthrightness that have been missing in the management of the country’s sports for a long time. That’s why I will back him to be successful.

The Minister must however be cautious with his approach of clearing any mess in the system. Any obstinate posturing may not augur well for the good intents he has. In similar fashion, the GFA ought to show good faith and work together with the Minister. Differences the GFA have or the Minister has with the GFA must be resolved amicably behind closed doors.

Ghanaians deserve better from the Minister likewise the GFA. In a nut shell, neither the Minister nor the GFA can deny that, there have been disagreements over certain issues. This should be seen as natural in any human institution and worked at. The last thing Ghana needs is this rift. It’s important that the Minister and the GFA mend their broken paths. Their raging fight is truly unwarranted.