I have always maintain that there is no transparency under the presidency of the current leader of the Ghana Football Association{GFA} Kwesi Nyantekyi. It has always been lies and blaming everyone else except himself and his corrupt cronies.
With the damaging revelations from witnesses at the on going Presidential Commission from the Bank of Ghana, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the Ministry of Youth and Sports about the lies told by the GFA president to Ghanaians about the appearance fees should inform Ghanaians about the corrupt nature of Nyantekyi and company. I have advocated a strong lobbying by government to remove these corrupt officials from office and I hope the Minister of Sports Mahama Ayariga will help this cause.
Even though I abhor violence of any form , but is Sulley Muntari justified that there were too many non essentials who were getting rich at the expense of the players which might have provoked him to go into excess.
When the issue of appointing a technical director for the Black Stars coach came up into the mainstream media, the first person to deny the story was the pitiful so called Communication Director of the GFA , Ibrahim Sannie Darra who only job is to deny every story available to the sport media and the public. The story even came with names of two technical directors from Serbia and somewhere in Europe.
As an alumni of the Ghana Institute of Journalism and Public Relations, and a former practicing journalist, I understand that you have to protect the institution to ensure that any information that can cause damage should be denied . But the manner this pitiful and unintelligent Daara comes out to deny every story about the GFA is very sad and poor. I just want to inform both the communication director and the entire GFA members that we are in the era of information technology and news spread like wild fire and that is why I wonder and it amazes me when he continually deny stories in public domain. Examples are the issues that crop up before ,during and after the Brazil 2014.
When the team returned to Ghana, the leadership of the team, the technical team headed by Kwasi Appiah, as well as management, coached or coerced Kwasi Appiah to lie to Ghanaians by shifting the blame from both the technical and the management team unto the players and guess who was used for their dirty game.
Kwasi Appiah is also on record at another occasion, insisted he will not resign after many calls on him to step down for the abysmal performance in Brazil 2014. In all these instances he was surrounded by these corrupt GFA members including those who use the playing body as an ATM machine to enrich themselves who coach him what to say or questions he should not answer.
When the current Black Stars coach, was appointed . many sports writers as well as Ghanaian public raised fears and doubt that the GFA and the sport ministry will not give him a free hand with selection of players into the national team among other things. Its still fresh in my memory how Kwasi Appiah organized a press conference to state that he was h " HIS OWN MAN" and therefore would not allow anyone to dictate to him. Today Ghanaians are witnesses to what is going on.
Returning to the issue of appointing a technical director or adviser for Kwasi Appiah ,there were many different stories ,debates about the merits and demerits as well as the truth or otherwise of the story.
Then a member of the Executive Committee ,broke the story of hiring a technical director or adviser for Kwasi Appiah and added that a three member committee comprising Francis Oti Akenteng, Fred Pappoe and Fred Crenstil has been tasked to search for the technical director. Meanwhile the disgraced Communication Director . Saanie Daara keep denying knowledge of any of these stories which is in every newspaper and radio stations.
I refer to him as unintelligent and pitiful because with all the stories going around he should have found a better approach to handle the story with the media and the public than the poor job he did by denying it.
Kwasi Appiah, this is the time to speak up to show Ghanaians and your employers that you are your own man like you told every one when you were appointed initially. This is because someone from the Executive Committee has made it clear that you were the person who requested for the technical director or adviser. If you have no gag order you should organize a press conference like your corrupt employers always coach you to say what they want the public to hear and not the truth.
Kwasi ,Coach J E Sarpong has advised you to quit to avoid further disgrace and humiliation that will befall the Nyantekyi regime. The latest from the Executive Committee claimed they have rejected your proposal of local advisers. Do you really believe you are your own man, I don't think so and that is the most reason why you should heed to the advise of coach Sarpong and honorably resign .
Kwasi I have always respected you for different reasons but that is slowly eroding because of the kind of people you have associated with. There is a saying that show me your friends and I will tell you your character. The current executive of the GFA are not transparent , corrupt and a bunch of liars.
Speak up and show Ghanaians you are your own man like you have stated in the past.
By Eric Okotah
Ghanaian journalist based in USA