Soccer News of Wednesday, 8 March 2006

Source: GNA

Kumasi fans fuming over Doya's continual stay in office

Accra, March 8, GNA - Soccer fans in Kumasi are fuming with rage over the continual stay of coach Ratomir Djukovic as helmsman of the Black Stars, saying he has demonstrated that he lacks the wherewithal to succeed at the summer World Cup.

They poured out their anger during a phone-in segment on Fox FM and KEZZBEN FM respectively on Independence Day where Mr O. B. Amoah, a Deputy Minister of Education and Sports had been invited to comment on a wide range of sporting issues.

The fans said the coach had not initiated any drastic measures to reverse the abysmal performance of the Black Stars at the Egypt African Cup of Nations, which was vividly re-enacted during the recent international friendly against Mexico in Dallas.

But the deputy minister called for caution in handling the problem, citing the instability in the Togo national team where players are divided over coaches Stephen Keshie and Otto Fister.

He said the actions by the fans were legitimate because the coach was being paid by the tax payers' money but called for calm. Mr Amoah said a meeting between the ministry and the Ghana Football Association has been fixed for this weekend to look at the way forward of the team including the coach's issue.

He said in order not to pre-empt the outcome of the meeting, "I will rather prefer to leave the final decision at the door steps of the GFA because it falls under its ambit."

Mr Amoah, however, was quick to add that the technical team aught to be beefed-up and the GFA must take a quick decision if the coach was no longer suitable.

The deputy minister also used the occasion to correct an impression being created by the fans that he travelled with the team to Dallas for a single match.

"I never travelled to Dallas, I was rather called by a GNA Sports journalist after the match to ask about my reaction which I obliged; its unfortunate that people would misconstrue that to mean I was physically present in Dallas."