Inconsistency is killing Ghana football: Letter to the Ghana Football Association

Let me start by sending my deepest condolences to all the die-hard Ghanaian football fraternity; I know you are all mourning the death of Ghana football. Today permit me to read the tribute of Ghana football and the eleven keen players killing Ghana football.

Exodus of Ghanaian players abroad: One of the contributing factors to the downfall of Ghana Football is local players in a hurry to leave the shores of Ghana to play abroad. Yes, sometimes I side with them because, during call-ups for the national teams apart from the under-17 national team, most of the call-ups are mostly players that are playing outside the boundaries of Ghana. So it has become a taboo that when local players are even called, they are never even given the playing time and opportunity to showcase their talent. This personally
does not motivate all the local players to stay and promote the local league.

This syndrome must stop. We have seen the likes of Abedi Pele, Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien, Asamoah Gyan, Laryea Kinston, Richard Olele Kingston, and Anthony Annan just to mention a few that played in our local league before their departure abroad, let us develop our local players and stop that player exodus syndrome it won’t help us.

Coaches and technical Team syndrome: If hiring and sacking of coaches is part or criteria for breaking the world Guinness Book of Records then I think “Osee yeee!) Ghana has won it. I just don’t understand why the Ghana Football Association among all the good coaches that apply for the Ghana coaching job always settles on hiring a coach that they can influence and control when it comes to player call-ups and selection of players on the field of play.

I mean why; Ghana alone has employed over fifty coaches in the history of Ghana football. I think among them, Charles Kumi (CK) Gyamfi, Uncle Fred Osam –Doudo, Bukhard Ziese, Milan Zivodinovic, Ratommir Dujkvic, Milovan Rajevic, Goran
Stevannovic and our own Kwesi Appiah; I call him the “Silent Killer” are my best coaches of all time.

The playing body ( I call them playing for money/cash): Look, why on earth could a private jet carry money to Brazil's 2014 World Cup to pay for appearance and bonuses for players representing their own country? I just remembered one AFCON when the Cote D’Ivoire National team performed abysmally the entire team was detained in the military Barracks where they were taken through all the military drills. Hence, La Cote D’Ivoire bounced back to win two Africa Cup of Nations trophies; Black Stars are you also ready for those drills before you bounce back to winning ways?

Even former Ghana physical trainer Herve Renard who worked under Ghana coach Claud Le Roy has won a trophy for Cote D” Ivoire and Cote D’Ivoire even hosted and won the recent AFCON held on their soil. after they ousted Otto Addo why employ Chris Houghton? I think at that time GFA should have maintained Herve Renard but no.

Herve Renard went on and won AFCON for Zambia. Please GFA, Renard is still available because he knows the African football terrain more than any other foreign coach as of now. I stand to be corrected. I learned over a hundred coaches have applied to occupy the current Ghana Football Association search for a substantive coach to replace Chris Houghton who before his appointment at the Black Stars job had no experience coaching in Africa.

It's time our players respect the flag and the country that gave birth to them very seriously and put money aside because over thirty million Ghanaians' hearts are in their hands because we love football.

The golden generations: I see it to be a challenge for our current crop of players to imitate the several generations of good and exceptional Black star team players we have in the past. The 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982, 1992, 2008, 2010 generations were very exceptional.

But the best among them all was the Ghana under-20 squad that conquered the whole world when they won Ghana’s first U-20 World Cup in Egypt; not forgetting Andrew Dede Ayew, Agyemang Badu, Samuel Inkoom, Jonathan Mensah, Dominic Adiyah, Joseph Addo (I think I never heard of this defender after he was red carded in our final match against Brazil- this boy eventually won the cup for Ghana.

Players like Abedi Ayew Pele, Asamoah Gyan, Michael Essien, Tony Yeboah, Samuel Osei kuffour, Mohammed Ahmed, Sulley Muntari, Karim Abdul Razak, Ibrahim Sunday, Stephen “Tonado” Appiah, Thomas Teye Patey, Jordan Ayew, Kwadwo Asamoah, Wilberforce Mfum, Robert Mensah, Opoku Nti, John Painstil, John Mensah (The Rock of Gilbrator), Anthony Annan, Baba Yara, Awudu Issaka, Daniel Lomotey A. Agbloe, Tony Baffoe; just few to mention. So now let me ask apart from Mohammed Kudus which of the current crop of the Black Stars players can we as Ghanaians boast of?

Invitation of Ghanaian players born Abroad: One of the major problems of Ghana Football is the call-up of Ghanaian players born abroad. I think the way we invite them and later dump them is nothing to write home about. Just look at these players; Kelvin- Prince Boateng, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Jeffrey Schrupp, Akwesi Appiah( not our local coach though), Caleb Ekuban, Adam Kwarasey, Albert Adomah, etc.

I think in the future we need to treat this crop of players very well so that other players willing to play for Ghana would have that nostalgic feeling for Ghana the land of their birth. May Junior Agogo’s soul rest in peace, likewise Christian Atsu Twsasam as well as Rafael Dwamina.

Let us give them ample time and years to gel well with the team. It is time we as a nation stop treating them like that; call and dump them syndrome must stop, even look at this young chap, Ransford Yeboah who played in the recent AFCON alongside Alexander Kwabena Djiku, Antoine Semenyo, and coach Otto Addo who was sacked by the GFA; eiii!!! Our own? Let us stop the way we handle the crop of outside players because they are not used to the African football terrain; let us give them ample time to gel.

The syndrome of “Juju”/unnecessary spiritual beliefs: It has become a norm for players playing for all our National teams to believe in one thing; “Agbala” as the Nigerians call it.

One factor backsliding Ghana football is the belief that one player or the other is using Juju against each other unless there is no injury in our various teams even in our local league. If Juju really can make a country win trophies why has Benin not won the Africa Cup of Nations or better still the World Cup? Yeah; I don’t doubt there are no spiritual effects on football; let us just forget those beliefs as a nation.

Football is just a game of Luck, hard work, and tactical discipline. Ghana, let's also stop that calculation when we go to major tournaments/qualification matches, always our qualification should not be in the hands of other countries; our players must work harder. We are tired of these unnecessary calculations; Black Stars we beg you all our calculators got broken down. We had enough calculations for your progress during official tournaments. It is just because of your lack of commitment; just deliver good results for us.

Divide and rule tactics at GFA: Just simple, the Ghana Football Association must sit up and stop those divide and rule tactics and create unnecessary camps within the GFA and among the playing body. The best is to employ people who have knowledge about the game and stop that job for boys, friends, and chronics things.

All Ghanaians are coaches’ syndrome: It is also time for all Ghanaians to respect some of the decisions taken by the GFA and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Government) because as all humans we sometimes make wrong decisions. We Ghanaians too are more than coaches. I wish one day the over thirty million Ghanaians will stand on the touchline to coach you the current squad if you still keep on breaking our hearts.

The syndrome of whom you know: Yeah it’s a fact that cuts across all the sectors of Ghana football. Both the Ghana premier league, Women's teams, under 17, under 20, under 23, and the Ghana national team. It is alleged/presumed that if these players don’t pay bribes to some officials they would never get call-ups. Some of the top hierarchy officials within the GFA also invite players for our national teams based on tribal, their players, and players from their
respective teams, especially the Ghana national under-17 team. Let us stop these acts for the betterment of Ghana Football.

Accountability: The government vs. the GFA; Football people as we affectionately call them here in Ghana are always in disagreement with each other just because of the disclosure of Accounts and financial statements. There seems to be no Accountability from the GFA to the Government and the good people of Ghana. At least the financial statements of the Ghana Football Association must be made public to all stakeholders of the game.

Doing so I think as Ghanaians we shall have the trust in them and we shall together bring back the love for Ghana football; Please both the Ghana Football Association and the Ministry of Youth and Sports please sit up. Let me give you an example of all the sponsorship packages Black Stars had before the Brazil 2014 World Cup; (GNPC= three million dollars, Unibank Ghana Ltd (two point one million dollars), over twenty million dollars from other sponsors like checkiGhana.com.gh( hundred thousand dollars) Rice masters, Huawei technologies ( hundred Thousand Dollars), Guinness Ghana Ltd.(two point eight million dollars), Latex Foam Ghana ltd. (hundred thousand dollars) Blue Rose Ghana Ltd. (ninety thousand dollars), Star Assurance Ghana (six hundred thousand dollars) upon all these Black stars, and GFA went to Brazil to disgrace the entire country, money had to be flown in a private jet, and even some of GFA executive members (Moses Armah -Parker has to receive dirty slaps and gadgets damaged. Hummm!!!, that is Ghana football for you no accountability.

My conclusion: I salute the Former Ghana Football Association President, Mr. Kwesi Nyantekye I just missed you likewise all Ghanaians. I think now a lot of Ghanaians including myself wish Kwesi Nyantekye is the one sitting on the current GFA hot seat; experience matters in the football world. Ghana was the first country to win the African Cup of Nations more than any other African country but look Egypt and other countries like Cameroun just surpass us. Let us as a country learn how to maintain coaches, players, and technical teams, develop grassroots football, let us also stop the divide and rule tactics, work for friends and chronics, and accountability from the Ghana Football Association/ the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Either than that I think things we never change; we need these changes now! Now!! Now!!! Before the entire country devours you like a lion; Ghanaians would arise soon; the Ghana Journalists have already started their way of expressing how bad football is being run by the so-called football people.

I think we the Ghanaian football-loving; we are monkeys for them. God Bless Our Homeland Ghana and make our Nation Great and Strong; Bold to defend forever. God bless Ghana Football: Long live Ghana football.