Soccer News of Saturday, 18 June 2011

Source: Raymond Yeboah

Bechem United digging own grave if they use Kumasi

*Qualification to the elite division from the wilderness of our Division One League is a feat that deserves well planned, great technique and skill by a sound management in order not to get back to that hell but it seems the Brong Ahafo clubs don’t learn their lessons and from what l see, Bechem United’s survival in the Ghana Premiership is very less unless positive decisions are implemented.*

After all the struggle in Division One, Bechem United with the help of experienced Chief Executive Officer Kingsley Osei Bonsu, gained promotion and they are about to taste their first premiership game but the team is about to make a grave mistake which’s result can only make them relegation bound.

How can the team choose Kumasi as their home venue instead of their region, which is Brong Ahafo? l do agree perfectly that if Bechem Park which is under renovation is not ready in time you might have to decide on another venue for the team's matches for the meantime so that they revert back to the stadium when it is ready but my question is why Kumasi?

In an interview with Ark Sports cum SportsInGhana.com, Bechem CEO Kingsley Osei Bonsu said he was asked to submit two venues of Sunyani and Kumasi so he exactly did what they asked for but the decision of choosing Kumasi as temporary venue was made without his consent, and this to me is a pity. As the CEO of a club, you are bound to shoulder the blame for any poor performance of the club so the decision of home venue, you have to take absolutely part.

The Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, to me, is more or less neutral grounds for some of the teams, a venue that couldn't help King Faisal survive, how can a debutant like Bechem survive? There, Ashgold, Medeama, Kotoko, Hearts and Chelsea feel comfortable when playing on that grounds so much even Kotoko can't boast of invincibility on that pitch.

I entreat the whole Bechemman, the traditional council of the area and the club owner Agama to rescind this horror decision if they want to remain in the league because first 5 matches in the first round of the Ghanaian top flight league are very important for any club who is participating.

Though I admit that the Sunyani Coronation Park won’t do them any automatic good, Kingsley Osei Bonsu being a Sunyani guy can do something about that to win the supporters to his side and l don’t think any Sunyani fan will defame Bechem to relegation because the people there needs a Premier League team in Sunyani. Though they are notorious for the habit of sabotaging some clubs into relegation, the people of Sunyani do love Kingsley Osei Bonsu alias Zico.

Even if they don’t like Sunyani, the team can go to Dormaa where Osei Bonsu was a former CEO to Aduana and share their park like Chelsea and Arsenal are doing at the Berekum Golden City Park. Going to Kumasi is a fatal decision and if the management of Bechem United like, they can bet on this article that they won’t survive if they do.

When B/A Stars gained promotion some of us gave them same advice not to appoint Tachie Arhin as CEO but they did not listen and look at their fate now. The change of home venue of Chelsea from the Sunyani Coronation Park to Golden City yielded results because Chelsea CEO Nana Kwame Nketiah listened to us.

So Bechem United, a word to the wise----------------hhmmmmm!