Sports News of Sunday, 2 June 2019

Source: ghanasoccernet.com

Peace FM's Dan Kweku Yeboah sidelined ahead of AFCON trip, Baah Nuakoh takes over

Dan Kweku Yeboah Dan Kweku Yeboah

Controversial spokesman of the Normalisation Committee of the Ghana FA, Dan Kweku Yeboah, has been controversially sidelined as the media officer of the Black Stars just hours before the team departs for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghanasoccernet.com can exclusively reveal.

The revelation exposes a massive crack in the backroom staff as the Black Stars with a tug of war emerging over who would control the media activities of the team.

The protege of the Chairman of the Black Stars management committee chairman Kwame Baah Nuakoh has been sneakily appointed to the post, sparking the anger of Yeboah and his backers.

In a massive political dogfight, Nuakoh was made to depart two days before the team, rendering Yeboah useless to the media activities of the Black Stars.

Even though Yeboah will be made to travel with the team latest by Sunday, the arrival of Baah Nuakoh will make his presence in the delegation unwanted.

Baah Nuakoh draws his powers from the Normalisation Committee boss Dr Kofi Amoah and Black Stars management committee chief Dr KK Sarpong as he has recently been used extensively by the caretaker body to draft the new statutes of the Ghana FA. He is being groomed for other things in the future Ghana FA activities. (More on next week on Ghanasoccernet.com)

Yeboah was brought to the post by the Sports Minister Isaac Asiamah whose recent rift with Dr Kofi Amoah seems to have taken its toll on the temporary position of the Peace FM presenter.

Yeboah worked as the media officer of the Black Stars since the Normalisation Committee took charge but has hardly received the support of players and large parts of the media.

Black Stars players are unable to warm towards him because of his trenchant criticism of their activities and bonuses while some parts of the media have heavily criticized him for his criticisms of the previous FA.

Baah Nuakoh has already set up a Twitter handle for the Black Stars without the knowledge of Yeboah, stretching the existing friction over the shadowy appointment.

With no nuance or followers on social media, Baah Nuakoh has courted four known journalists (names withheld to be revealed at a later date) to help him as he seeks to wrestle the position from Yeboah to make his presence felt.

The new twitter handle has frantically been soliciting for followers claiming its the only place to gain the first hand news of the Black Stars at the Africa Cup Nations.

Even though Dr Baah Nuakoh is touted as a brilliant academic and football media person, this is the first time he is doing the job of a media officer that is highly demanding with various competing tasks.

Insiders say this is the latest move by Dr KK Saprong to completely take charge of the affairs of the Black Stars by deploying his proteges to work directly on the team similar to what he has done in the past.

Baah Nuakoh worked with Dr Sarpong at Kotoko before he left the job to join the defunct Royal Bank under the chairmanship of his mentor.

When Dr Sarpong was appointed to the GNPC position he moved with Baah Nuakoh, Ben Nti and Patrick Ofori to the national oil company.

Now that he has been made chairman of the Black Stars management committee, he has brought Ofori in favour of Prof Mintah and now Baah Nuakoh in the place of Kweku Yeboah.

Close associates of Yeboah have told Ghanasoccernet.com that he will quit the post when the team returns for the Africa Cup of Nations as he considers his removal as a humiliation.

A wide crack has already been developing between Yeboah and the Normalisation Committee who are reluctant to invite him to their meetings with some members openly questioning his competence during meetings.