RTU's relegation is a drawback to football development in the north

A GNA feature by Caesar Abagali
Accra, May 31, GNA - The relegation of Real Tamale United, (RTU) one= of the most formidable clubs in Ghana's Premier League over the years, is one of the outstanding events that takes place this year and it would constitute one of the most serious drawback that would affect football development in the northern parts of the country for many years to come. One only hopes that the club would put the trauma behind then and quickly pick up the pieces, collaborate and bounce back during the next soccer season.
It is clear that RTU does not only constitute a sports club but carrie= s the spirit of the whole north as far as football is concerned. RTU is also not only a rallying point for people seeking employment but also constituted the pride of the north until Wa All Stars entered the fray of football in the north. It was a sorrowful news that engulfed the north after RTU lost their last away match to New Edubiase to relegate the Pride of the North to the Second Division. Thirty three years in the premiership is not a mean achievement to be written off easily.
It is sad that 33 years of ceaseless struggle, determination, fortitude and remarkable achievement has just been eroded to nothing due to a lot of factors, foremost is the entrenched power struggle and selfish interest of some people at the helm of affairs. These and many more reasons sum up the life of this Tamale-based club, which has brought so much pride to Northern Ghana in the realm of football. The club itself is referred to as "the Pride of the Nort= h" in all circles in the country. But today it is sad that the mighty has fallen. For the people of Tamale and the north as a whole, RTU represents a spiritual enthusiasm. There is no separation between what the people see in RTU and their very being. To many in Tamale and elsewhere in Dagbon, Real Tamale United is synonymous with their tradition and normative life. Therefore what happens in RTU must be a concern of all in the area. In 2004 there was massive jubilation in the Tamale Metropolis and some parts of the country when the Tamale lads defeated Kumasi Asante Kotoko to lift the GHALCA special knock-out trophy in Accra.
The victory was one of the rare instances for RTU to have lifted a national cup and even to beat one of the strongest teams in the Ghanaian Premier League outside their home grounds to lift such a prestigious cup (GHALCA Knock-out Cup). Interestingly that was the only major achievement of the Club since its entry into the premiership in 1978. The Pride of the North has unbelievably despite its unpredictability has finally been relegated. Where does one place the blame, Is it on the playing body, old players, management, supporters union, patrons or is it premeditated?
The Club have always been unpredictable in most of their matches especially their in the national League and are always not sure of away victories, which has now cost them seriously. The going had never been easy for the Club especially in the last two season's. The non-performance of the club were characterized by self-made problems as well as others imposed, but the team persevered and sailed through at the end but this time round poor management and greed as well as the zeal not to play the 93Football Politics" caused their down fall.
The fixtures of the Premier League has often not favoured the club as matches were and are always fixed without due consideration to the club's distance and the number of times they have to travel away to cover such matches thus worsening their plight. Financially, they have always been vulnerable.
In an earlier article about the success story of the Club, suggestions= were made to management to look beyond Tamale since it has a large catchment area in the Upper East, Upper West and parts of Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions to get quality players to groom for RTU to stand firm against any threat of relegation, but for which management has failed to capitalize on. Arguably RTU was counted among the elites of football Clubs in the country. This, however, is not sufficient, for in the very nature of their success also laid their failures. The club's achievements are very unpredictable and inconsistent. But like in many other things with Ghana sports, inconsistency has been the bane of the Club. RTU could have strived harder to obtain a high level of consistency and predictability in order to progress both nationally and internationally after producing a host of national and international stars. It is only consistency that can find a solution to the financial and other problems facing the club.
For references sake, it is imperative to lift a portion from the earlier article 93Help RTU to achieve more success", published in 2004 as a remi= nder that the club lost focus in its management system over the past few years. The article reads, 93RTU must also strive to obtain a high level of profession= alism and use untapped potentials available in the various parts of the north. There is the need for streamlining the Clubs management and spread the basis of its financial support widely and ensure that they win some of their away matches to maintain the pride and honour of being the first Club that has succeeded to stay on top from up North. One way of tapping the potential is to either establish an football academy in the north, tap players from educational institutions or affiliate with an academy with the support of other financiers, individuals or clubs as well as seeking both internal or external assistance.
It is in this vein that Wienco Fertilizers, the main sponsors of the Club must be highly commended for sustaining their un-alloyed assistance to the existence of the Club over the years. The surviving Founders and Patrons of the club, who saw the wisdom in setting up the Club must not neglect the club to its fate and allow a few selfish individuals to continue to use the Club as their gold mine by selling of good players and intend recruiting half bake players to the detriment of success of the Club and it is time such people advice themselves to desist from playing with the passion of the people of the north and taking them for granted.
Other sources of revenue must be sought by organising raffle draws, embarking on fund raising activities as was done in the past, printi= ng and selling of the club's paraphernalia, support from the various District Assemblies and traditional authorities, businesses and entrepreneurs, individual well-wishers as well as the use of joint ownership of the Club's assets with external financiers. The management of the club must also involve government institutions i= n the north in its activities and to seek employment for its players as was done in the past. They must also forthwith cease with maintaining a narrow northern boundary-like system of organization and be more business-like in approach. The potential of the club is loud and clear and it is for this reason that the GFA should not be bias when selecting players into the national teams from the various clubs. In an earlier article, hailing RTU in their 25 years of continuous existence in the league, I made it clear that the club was born in a region that is rocked by poverty, disease and now series of conflict, thus retarding the club's progress. I also called on the framers of the idea to form the club to bring their brains together to ensure that the team becomes a "power Block" in Ghana soccer. It will b recalled that RTU produced such football greats as Abedi Pele Ayew, Kwame Danger, Clifford Addae, Mohammed Choo, Mohammed Gargo, Stephen Baiddo, Anane Kobo, Abuga Pele, Karimu Starboy, Mohammed Nlai, Abukari Damba, Mumuni Gamel and Mas-ud Didi Dramani just to mention a few. Ans almost the big clubs in the country, Asante Kotoko, Hearts of Oak, Olympics, Ashgold have on a number of occasion had to poach a number of these players to beef up their squads when RTU needed their services most and it is unfortunate that the Club's fortunes has been left to deteriorate to an extent that it is going on relegation. How sad.
The contributions of personalities such as the late Col. Zumah, Founder of the Club, as well as Alhaji Aliu Mahama, former Vice President, Alhaji M.N. D. Jawula, Alhaji Rahimu Gbadamosi, Alhaji Ibrahim Adam, Alhaji B.A. Fuseini and Alhaji Sherif Savanna, S.K. Mainoo and the present Vice President John Mahama as well as other noted personalities whose following cuts across the political divide or chieftaincy among others should commit themselves in making sure that RTU is placed on a high pedestal. Aside them other individuals and sympathizers both in Ghana and abroad should try to invest in the actual development of the team.
It is also clear that RTU has helped in making Ghana football what it is today. Thanks to RTU for narrowing the geographical distance of the country by bringing people all the way to the north who would not have gone there and for allowing the people to have first taste of association football.
Not only has RTU produced the best footballer ever to emerge in Africa in the person of Abedi Pele Ayew as well as producing players to almost all the clubs in the country but they have also made the league very competitive in given something to be proud of to the north. It is therefore in the interest of this country to see RTU move up the soccer plane".
The predicament of RTU today is clearly caused by mismanagement and it is high time the management is dissolved immediately with the Regional Minister, who is the Chief Patron to collaborate with others to see to the re-survival of the club and external support should be sought to bring the club back to the premiership in the shortest possible time.
This is also the time for the supporters' to learn lessons from their violent actions and to contribute their quota towards re-branding RTU again into a formidable team capable of re-bouncing back into the elite division. The PLB, GFA and the Referees Association should also allow clubs to exist and not take decisions that are geared to condemn certain clubs to their deaths with biased outlooks. Player selection should be the sole responsibility of the coach and not by bringing players based on affiliation with management. Again searching for a coach for RTU should not be based on a geographical origin of the person but someone who has the pedigree to lift the team up. When RTU remains in the wilderness it would go a long way in compounding the unemployment problem existing in the area with the youth having nothing to entertain themselves with especially at the weekends and the consequences can be obvious and predictable. RTU must not be allowed to die such a painful death since it has the potential of staying afloat when given the needed attention by all peoples of the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, the Regional Coordinating Councils, District Assemblies as well as sympathizers from other parts of the country to bail out the 91Pride of the North" from total collapse. 93A word to the wise is in the North".
"We Una, United We Stand, Divided we Fall".