The GFA has Come Full Circle

Just two years after the Ghana Football Association (GFA) hired Claude Le Roy, the Black Stars are without a substantive coach. It’s not as if Le Roy’s departure was sudden like Mariano Barreto’s or Milan Zivadinovic’s, both of whose departure was attributed to some excessive pressure from Ghanaians. Many football enthusiasts had seen Le Roy’s departure coming!

When the man decided to apply for the vacant coaching job in South Africa—even though he denied ever applying—it was obvious he was no longer interested in managing the Black Stars. I saw nothing wrong with that decision, in principle. He is a businessman, and businessmen are SUPPOSED to be smart. These expatriate coaches are smart! They study the market, look at the opportunities, and decide to go for gold. Le Roy had seen that the South African position was juicier, because he was going to be paid far more than he was being paid by his employers in Ghana. More so, he was going to be assured of a ‘free’ spot for the 2010 World Cup—because South Africa will be hosting the tournament.

The problem, however, is that the GFA pretended it was not aware of what the coach was doing. Even if the FA was aware, it was so slow in acting. If Claude Le Roy was wise enough to apply for a job, the GFA should have been wise enough to look for his replacement. It’s as simple as that. My fear was that by the time the coach left, the Black Stars would be without a substantive coach. My fears have come true. The Stars will be without a substantive coach heading into their first qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup; meanwhile, Le Roy knows very well where his bread will be buttered next!

The GFA has already said that if there is no coach by the time the team plays its first qualifying match for the World Cup, Akwasi Appiah, the assistant coach will be leading the team for that match (in fact, I am told Sellas Tetteh will lead the team). Meanwhile, this same Akwasi Appiah was given only a year’s contract, while the FA was prepared to offer many years to Claude Le Roy. Sometimes, I feel so sorry for our local coaches, who are treated with little or no respect. The FA even claims it is not looking for a foreign coach, necessarily, as its next coach, but a competent one; but, I am not sure if they think our local coaches are EVER competent.

Most of these foreign coaches are just like SOME politicians. They make all the promises, but fail to deliver. These expatriate coaches abandon African teams, just when they need them most, and move to other places to advance their business interests. Compare what Claude Le Roy said when he was appointed Stars’ coach to his behavior just before he decided to leave the team. He sounded more Ghanaian in the early days of his appointment than those of Ghanaian heritage, and almost behaved as if he was redefining what it meant to be patriotic.

What the GFA needs to know before it hires any other foreign coach is that all coaches are businessmen and their claims to intimacy with the country(ies) where they are appointed are only political arm-twisting rhetorical activities to get jobs. They think about nothing more than money. After all, these coaches who are touted as the best on the African scene are the same recycled managers who have stayed on the continent for over 20 years. They have no new tactics. They know one another, they are friends with members of all the respective FA associations in the various African countries, and they know where they can get the most money, succeed, and develop the most talent.

Africa has served very well as a hub for these coaches to build strong CV’s and move on to ‘greater heights’ in their coaching careers. Most of these foreign coaches have no intimate connection with and investments in African teams; they come to the African continent to build their CV’s, make huge sums of money, serve as player agents, and come on long vacations. These coaches either leave after failing African teams or abruptly end their contracts, always citing family reasons as the cause or even without giving any reasons at all—especially in the case of Le Roy.

The continent is awash with several of these cases. In South Africa, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira—after negotiating a lucrative contract, and probably enjoying a lot of the booty—quit after 16 months in-charge of the team, citing family reasons; Berti Vogts dashed the hopes of Nigerians after just a short stint with the Super Eagles; Otto Pfister failed the Hawks of Togo and left after that; the coach of Senegal left in the heat of the African Cup of Nations (in Ghana), and Le Roy has just joined the list. I am even told that Roger Lemerre will be taking over as coach of Morocco after getting the sack in Tunisia (February, this year) to continue the process. I hear Togo’s foreign coach has also joined the bandwagon. I believe there are other cases space will not permit.

Even without any advertisement from the GFA, about ten foreign coaches have applied for the vacant coaching job. I hear no Ghanaian coach has applied. Why will they, knowing that they will be used as a face-saving instrument for the FA? These names, according to FA sources, are unknown. However, former Cameroon coach, Pierre Lechantre and five others have expressed interest in the vacant Black Stars job, too. I believe these coaches have seen yet another opportunity to get out of their states of unemployment, get something on their CV’s, and prepare to move on to ‘bigger’ assignments—after ditching these teams—that will get them much recognition and more money.

We need a break! Don’t we? The GFA should realize that it has come full circle. There is no area the football association has not explored. The FA needs some sober reflection. The ‘musical chairs’ game that has characterized the hiring and firing of coaches should stop. It’s time for us to trust and try our own. Our local coaches can also do what these foreign coaches have done. Considering the barometer of success established by these foreign coaches, many of our local coaches can do better! What is the FA scared of? What is it that these recycled coaches have done that the Duncan’s, the Sellas Tetteh’s, and the Hayford’s cannot do?

With all the noise about Claude Le Roy, he was found wanting at the most crucial times. It was under his term that the Stars suffered a humiliating defeat to Saudi Arabia; he cost us the ’08 Nation’s Cup due to his technical bankruptcy; it was under his term that the natural one-touch passing game became unpopular, and it was under his term that the infamous 4-5-1 formation became popular even though it did not match the style and strength of the team. Someone told me it was under his term that Ghana became Africa’s number one. I don’t trust the FIFA rankings, anyway. Otherwise, Egypt, that won the cup, should not be in its current position.

Without any doubt the nation is awash with a lot of good coaches, but while this is the case it appears the same cannot be said of how they are treated when hired in this country. Seemingly, the FA has an infinite level of patience for foreign coaches, but has no shred of that for local coaches; thus, when foreign coaches fail, FA members jump to their defense, but are quick to fire the salvo when it involves local coaches.

History has it that for the past 20 years, in Ghana football, aside of Otto Pfister who has won anything for a Ghanaian team at any level, all the laurels that have come to the nation have been masterminded by local coaches. Of course, Dujkovic took the team to the World Cup, but it was more about the talent and determination of the team than his influence. Yes, that is it!

Usually local coaches hired for the national teams are not given half of the resources the foreign coaches are given. When Jones Attuquayefio took over the Black Stars during the qualifying series of the 2002 World Cup, he was never given a contract and it took only grace for his allowances which were less than half that of a foreign coach, to be paid to him. Is it any surprise that Akwasi Appiah has been given a year’s contract? The FA will never learn!

A local coach’s self-affirmation is seen as selfishness and recalcitrance. His egocentricism is denounced as the antithesis of over-indulgence and stepping strange boundaries. His sense of discipline is seen as waywardness, and his connectedness with the players is seen as over-indulgence and too patronizing. The same coaches we treat as villains are the same people who are heroes in other areas. Unless and until we change our mindset, the recycling of coaches will continue.

Egypt has very much shown the way. Their local coach has won them two consecutive trophies. At least, the FA has a reference point, but only if members will see clearly. It is simple! Success will not come just by appointing a local coach, and I am not saying local coaches are intrinsically better than foreign coaches, but given what all these expatriate coaches have done, local coaches also deserve a chance to prove themselves. After all, we did not know much about Mariano Barreto who was said to be a P.E. teacher. Fortunately, we already know these local coaches, so what are we scared of? What the FA needs to do is to give the local coaches at least half the respect and resources given to the non-performing foreign coaches, and let’s see what will happen.

I fully support the attempts by the former players of the Black Stars to get Sellas Tetteh appointed. Hasn’t this man done all he needs to do to take over as the substantive coach? If he was good for four years as assistant, can’t he be good for the job itself? He may not be the FA’s choice, but there are other qualified local coaches. My fear is that we may blow our chance to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, which destiny tells me our presence will be missed! Over to you, Kwesi Nyantakyi!