Sports Features of Sunday, 29 June 2014

Source: Chibaro Ali

Ghana Football Association is a Bunch of Corrupt Officials

The dust is yet to settle and settle well. Sulley Ali Muntari and Kelvin Prince Boateng are gone for good. Their riddance from the Black led Black Stars that never shines will not in any way end their football careers neither will it erase the fact that GFA is a bunch of corrupt officials. It is better to say the truth than to be comforted with lies that will leave you with emotional pains. So what Sulley Muntari said is not far from this.

Sometimes it takes one person to change society and do what everybody is afraid to do. He has said the truth; he has said what many dare to say; he has said what many whisper and groan all the time but for fear of being victimized they swallow their pains and anger. Infact Sulley is a hero and must be celebrated. He has left an indelible mark in the history of Ghana football and that is TRUTH and BOLDNESS.

We have all censured him for his physical action against the GFA executive committee member because we think it’s beyond the boundary of discipline. His verbal invectives also went viral on social media and greeted with mix reactions of praises and vilifications. But what brought about Sulley’ action?

If one strips himself naked and chases the naked madman on the street, such a person is no better than the madman. They all need mental care in a psychiatry hospital. Sulley Muntari, like Mario Balotelli is known for his temper tantrums and everybody know that for a fact yet he plays for Black Star because of his capabilities.

The duty of the management committee is to manage the players at the camp and not to fight them, no matter the cause. They are to manage them physically and emotionally including their behaviors. Two wrongs certainly don’t make a right. So why should Moses Armah provoke Sulley to that extent knowing that a hungry man is an angry man. Is he there to challenge players? Telling a player “I am gangster more than you”, “Am ready for you. You think I’m a coward?” is unprofessional and equally amounts to indiscipline on his part. He must also be sacked for professional misconduct.

The sports ministry is shrouded in deep seated corruption from flesh to bone since time immemorial. During the days of Mallam Issah as sports minister, a whooping amount of 46,000 choppable United State of America dollars mysteriously disappeared in a plane en route to Sudan.

In the days of Alhaji Muntaka, a gargantuan amount of the tax payer’ monies were used to buy pampers, khebab, baby oil etc. to a tournament in Cote D’Ivoire.

Nothing has changed under the aegis of Elvis Afriyie Ankrah who has just been reshuffled. The embattled GFA boss Kewsi Nyantakyi and his compatriots were captured in a video for match fixing that would have fetched them £30,000 US dollars.

All those who were captured in the video – Christopher Forsythe, Obed Nketia and Kwesi Nyantakye must be made to face the full rigours of the law. In the video, Christopher, who is Fifa registered players’ agent along with Obed Nketia boasted that they could employ corrupt officials who would rig matches played by Ghana. Kwesi Nyantakyi later contacted the undercover investigator and also agreed to the contract. Below is what Christopher said in the meeting with the investigator:

“Everywhere it happens. The referees can change the matches every time. So this is an option as well that they can look at. Because if we are bringing our own officials to do the match you can decide for them, tell the officials, look, something is happening in Far East on this match so we want it 3-2 in favour of the opposition. And then they will make it happen. You are making your money and they will just thought the referee rob us. And they, that one, it will just last for 24 hours. After people eating, and everything, boozing they forget about it. They look at the next match so that’s good.” [the contract].

The GFA board, from technical team to committee members must be cleansed to pave way for sanity in the sector.

As for Kwesi Appiah, the less said about him the better.