Editorial: GFA causing financial loss to the state

It has now emerged that Kwasi Appiah, until recently the head coach of the senior national team, the Black Stars, has received a formal letter from his employers, the Ghana Football Association (GFA), terminating his appointment.

The Daily Graphic can, however, reveal that the terse letter did not state the reasons for the termination of the contract, except to add that the lawyers of the two parties would meet to determine the appropriate severance award and compensation to be paid him. 

We dare ask: Is this best practice? 

Ghana has come a long way in its football administration and so for the GFA to conduct itself in such a way in this time and age is, to say the least, very unfortunate. 

It is fast becoming the norm for our football administrators to treat our local coaches with contempt, disdain and disrespect. 

Listening to Mr Fred Osam Duodu, a veteran football coach, on an Accra FM station yesterday, the Daily Graphic was more than saddened by the narration of the raw deal meted out to him by the same football controlling body when he was hired as head coach of the Black Stars some time ago. 

A similar story was recounted by Coach Hene E. K. Afranie, while Coach J. E. Sarpong, for his part, made a passionate appeal to all Ghanaian coaches not to put in any application for the vacant position. 

In all those narrations, one thing was very clear: The position of head coach of the Black Stars has, since time immemorial, become a thankless job for local coaches. 

We dare pose this question: Would the GFA have conducted itself this way if the coach were an expatriate? Again, is this best practice? Perhaps we need to console ourselves with the Biblical saying that a prophet has no honour in his native area. 

But still reflecting on the possible outcome of the talks between the lawyers of the two parties, it must be said that never again should we allow people placed in responsible positions to take us for a ride and treat their compatriots as rags.  

And, going by what our sister paper, the Graphic Sports, published on the front page of last Monday’s edition, it appears the nation must brace itself up for long drawn out negotiations to determine the appropriate compensation to be paid to Coach Appiah. 

The paper estimates that $211,500, representing three months’ salary and outstanding fee, is the amount to be paid to the dismissed coach. But the Daily Graphic can authoritatively say that unless the unexpected happens, Coach Appiah will exact his pound of flesh, and when this happens, then the floodgates will be opened for a long and uncompromising dispute. 

Notwithstanding the outcome of the negotiations, however, Ghana will definitely be the loser, as it will have to settle an avoidable and, indeed, unnecessary debt. 

But no matter how the issue ends, the Daily Graphic wants to place on record the fact that the GFA has treated the nation with gross disrespect in the handling of the Kwasi Appiah matter.  

We deserve a more convincing explanation from the GFA now. 

Perhaps the time is also ripe for the Ministry of Youth and Sports to state its position on the dismissal of the coach. The Sports Minister’s silence is too loud for comfort.