Soccer News of Friday, 3 October 2003

Source: GNA

Heads must roll Queens

From Veronica Commey, Portland, Oregon. Courtesy Pioneer Food Cannery, Tema

Portland, Oregon, Oct 3, GNA - Within few days after the women national team, Black Queens were kicked out of the on going FIFA world cup in the United States, the players have attributed the causes of their exit to a number of issues. The team is asking that the entire technical directorate of the team be changed for the sake of the development of the nations passion, football.

Members of the team told the GNA Sports before departure home that the technical handlers of the team are the major cause of the team's non-performance in the tourney. Though none of the players want their names mentioned, they insisted that they present crop of handlers have been in charge for far too long and have nothing new or fresh to offer. They maintain that the handlers' way of handling with issues that affects the team are not different from their previous failed attempts. The players are convinced that irrespective of whatever changes the team might go through in future, reshuffling from the top will be the priority.

The complaint in camp was that, from Sylvester Mensah, chairman of the team's management committee all through to the Cecilia Laest, the team's nurse must give way to new personalities. The players told the GNA Sports that they are convinced that because of their long stay with the team, some of the officials play major roles in bringing in some players who do not merit national call at the detriment of the game.

They believe that the officials have become very influential in the selection of players which is no longer the prerogative of the coach though that is not suppose to be their business. "The present "big wig" are running the team as their private ventures and we are aware", they said. Perhaps, the complaint might too late in a day, but the team is convinced that "it is better late than never".

The team has no major complaint about coach Oko Arye, except that they think he is not strong enough to resists interference from the big wig who changed his original line-up in their crucial game against the Russians.