Accra, July 9, GNA - Ghanaian soccer fans and former soccer administrators have divided opinion on what line of action to take in order to revive the fast sinking fortunes of the senior national team, Black Stars, after their shock exit from next year's African Cup of Nations scheduled for Tunisia.

A cross section of soccer enthusiasts the GNA Sports spoke to, revealed this split. Whiles one group advocated a complete overhaul of the football establishment; others said a house cleaning would not solve the problem since this has not been a useful solution in the past. These who advocated a complete overhaul of the system claimed that the present administration had shown by their performance so far that they are incapable of achieving results.

Kofi Ntow, a resident of Nyaniba Estate Osu, said the Ben Koufie administration has totally let Ghanaians down considering the faith reposed in him in view on his previous experience in other African countries.

He said under the present administration, the junior teams (under 17 and 20 teams) have failed miserably as both have not been able to hold their own against fellow African countries that have hitherto been no match for them.

"It is not surprising that our once feared Black Stars placed last in a group made up of war torn countries. What more do we need to convince us that the present administration does not hold the key to our future".

"I do not know why people are saying that sacking them and starting all over is not the answer. I do not care hiring and firing people who are not performing until one gets the right people for the job".

Mr Kojo Bonsu, former member of the football association shared similar sentiments during a Metro TV's, "Good Evening Ghana" programme when he said there is a need for a revolutionary house cleaning to bring people with contacts and links who can help the country access needed funds. He said the "no money syndrome" and the over- reliance on government for everything would not help. Mr Bonsu said when there is proper planning and well-laid structures, it would not take much time for the Stars and the junior teams to recaptures their lost glory.

Mr Bonsu said even though he supports the view that a foreign coach still remains the best option for the country, it does not mean that the country should just go in for any foreign coach without a good track record.

"With a good coach and proper planning it would not take more than nine months to rebuild the national team into formidable force to conquer the continent again"

Others with contrary views are claiming that for too long a time we have clamoured for total house clearing whenever the country fails to qualify for any major tournament and in so doing sack everybody including those who are performing well.

Nana Sam Brew Batler, former chairman of the GFA, who was among the panellists of the "Good Evening Ghana" said sacking Ben Koufie, would not be the answer to a problem that had been there long before he assumed office.

He instead advocated a careful reflection on what went wrong and finding the best way to deal with the embarrassing situation.

Nana said when the cause of the team's failure is identified; the next step would be to find ways to deal with them since team building is a long process, which can sometimes be frustrating.

He said football administration needs some amount of continuity since contacts and rapport becomes necessary to push through things.

"The problem with us is that when structures are put in place and people are being asked to follow them we say administrators are interfering with the coach's job"

"If you already have a standing team and you bring a new coach, all that the coach needs to do is to work with the existing team and gradually add and take out players who do not fit into his game rather than he being allowed to assemble a completely new set of players to start all over again.

Mr Maxwell Ansah, another football enthusiast said the problem with Ghana football is not with the administrators but a general reflection of our society.

He said Ghanaians only looked out for output forgetting that one needs inputs to get the needed output. "What have we invested into our game over the past years to expect any results that would take us anywhere" "Look at our local league, it is nothing to write home about, officiating is bad, quality of the players keep falling and facilities are just not there"

"So sacking Ben Koufie would not be the solution because the problems did not start during his administration"