Sports Features of Friday, 12 November 2004

Source: Isaac Arthur (omagbemi)

Hurricane Nyaho hit Ghana Football

The Chairman of the Ghana football Association, Dr Nyaho Tamakloe will be the first to admit that his eight months or so in office as the GFA chairman has not been rosy as he has already fallen out with his Executive Council.

In this few weeks Ghana Football has been hit by the latest Hurricane known as ?Hurricane Nyaho?, as the GFA chairman, Dr Nyaho Tamakloe is at logger-heads with his Executive council.

In my opinion so much ink has been wasted on Nyaho Tamakloe?s power struggle with the executive council because Nyaho?s description of the Council is childish and does not deserve the publicity.

The Executive council has been in existence for sometime now and with just eight months or so in office, Nyaho is calling for reforms to cut off the Executive council powers and size.

It?s interesting to know that the medical practitioner who claims to be a politician wants to sideline the executive council and run the show alone

I am finding it difficult to understand what the GFA chairman meant by describing the council as too large and unnecessary. Since when did he realise that the council was too large and unnecessary?

The Medical Practitioner has really disappointed me because at a time that Ghana football is in tatters he is thinking about his personal gain and how to run Ghana football alone.

Instead of sitting down with his management board and finding out the solutions to our football woes, he has rather decided to fight over power with the executive council.

Nyaho seems to be finding fault with everybody and I want him to know that his unpalatable arrogance is creating division among his management board.

I think someone needs to remind Nyaho that the Satellites have been kicked out from the Africa Youth Championship and since New Zealand and Nigeria ?99 world cups, the Starlets and Satellites have never qualified for any world cup and this are issues he needs to solve rather than the power struggle.

Anyway he has come out publicly to say that he is not a football administrator but he is a medical practitioner and a politician.

Some few weeks back it was him attacking Sports Journalist for the departure of a coach and today it?s him and his executive council.

>From his attitude so far I see him as a dictator and no wonder a member of his management board, Dr Kofi Amoah has come out to say that Nyaho has sideline them and running the GFA alone.

It?s interesting to know that Nyaho is not even getting on well with the members of his management board and his attitude is not projecting the good image of the GFA.

He must be told that the GFA does not belong to him and should be reminded that he cannot toil with our football because that?s what most of us eat, drink, sleep and worship. Even for him to go to the law court tells you how paranoid he is. Has he forgotten that FIFA frowns on football being taken to the law court?

The impasse between him and the Executive council is really affecting the progress of football in the country and the earlier they find a lasting solution to it the better for our dreams to qualify for the 2006 World cup in Germany. The Satellites have already been kicked out.

The damage that hurricane Nyaho has caused Ghana football is so serious that macho men are being hired to threaten the lives of executive council members and now he is being sacked from executive council meetings.

As the old adage goes, when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers and whatever is happening between Nyaho and the executive council could affect our football. He should know that in the long run it is Ghana football that will be at the receiving end.

After a burst up with media personnel I advised him to have a thick skin like Nana Sam Brew Butler or an easy going life like Alhaji MND Jawula to survive his three year term in office but it looks like the medical practitioner has refused to heed to this healthy advice.

During his inaugural speech Nyaho said so much that I got convinced he was the messiah to save the dwindling fortunes of Ghana football but today I see him as a big disappointment and a failure.

With the Accra High court asking the Ministry of Sports to act as an arbiter and resolve the impasse by December 1st, I just hope that Nyaho and the executive council will co-operate and put Ghana football first.

If he thinks he is too big to work under the executive council then he should resign and save Ghana football from sinking further.

A word to the wise?..