Nukpezah questions absence from Team Ghana

The National Chief Athletics coach, Albert Nukpezah, has questioned the decision of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) for dropping him from Ghana’s contingent for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Nukpezah said the move by the GAA flouts the procedure that guides selection of participants for international games like that.

The National Coach told the GNA Sports that, “it is only Prof. Francis Dodoo and his team who can explain my absence from the team.

“As a chief coach, I must be the head of the technical team for the event, but they chose to apply their own rules for reasons I don’t know”. He noted.

According to the coach, his position as the “Chief Coach” is on merit and has provided the GAA President and his executives with the necessary documents to support them and wonders why they decided to drop him.

Nukpezah noted that, even though the GAA said they have employed Andrew Owusu and Leo Myles-Mills as coaches of the Association hence their inclusion in the team, he alleged that the duo are not coaches but lecturers in the USA.

“They are not recognized by the International Associations of Athletics Federation (IAAF) as coaches, so I am surprised they are going there as coaches.” He explained to the GNA Sports.

The coach said he suspects victimization on the part of the GAA as he recounts some issues from the 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique.

Bawa Fuseini, General Secretary of the GAA, however, told the GNA Sports that the decision to drop the coach was not to victimize him but it was an application of new policies developed by the Association.

He said the GAA at its Board meeting agreed to use a rotational system where all coaches under the Association will be given an opportunity to travel with the team.

According to Fuseini, the Chief Coach was part of the meeting that endorsed the decision and wondered why he is peeved over his exclusion. But coach Nukpezah denied that assertion.

“There was never any meeting of that nature of which I was part. We have never taken any decision like that at the Association”. Nukpezah told the GNA Sports.

Fuseini, however, insisted and promised to provide minutes to that effect.

The General Secretary explained that the rotational system is an attempt to give other coaches the needed international exposure as part of efforts to develop the sport as is done elsewhere but not to punish anyone.

He said countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa and Jamaica, which are noted in athletics also practice the rotational system.**