Whose target for Grant?
“Go to the 2015 AFCON and do well”, was the carte blanche handed the new Black Stars coach, Avram Grant, by the FA on his assumption of duty almost a fortnight ago.
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We felt it was a fair deal for Grant, given the limited time and space for the ‘Ebola AFCON’ in Equatorial Guinea next month and the need for restraint so that unnecessary pressure was not brought to bear on the former Chelsea of England tactician.
But now the sports minister, Mahama Ayariga, has waded into the matter, setting his own target for Grant as it were, that he must “go and win the trophy”, fiat.
It appears the sports ministry and its subordinate body, the GFA, are talking at cross-purposes, one instructing the coach to “go and do well” and the other demanding that the coach “must win the trophy”.
Already, with this new twist in the apparent jig-saw puzzle, Grant must have started feeling the pressure that comes with such high-profile technical jobs.
However, we believe Grant has the experience to handle all that to rise to the occasion in Equatorial Guinea.
But as we stated in this very column last week, “go and do well” does not preclude the ambition to win the trophy.
Even though the instruction is not specific and gives room for discretion given the circumstances of Grant’s employment, it will be disingenuous for any suggestion that the coach will not be ambitious enough to fight for the trophy.
It is interesting to note the FA’s caveat that accompanied the carte blanche given Grant for next month’s AFCON. And that is that as for the 2017 AFCON, he must win it.
That seems to suggest to us that win or lose Grant will continue in his two-year contract, but will certainly face the guillotine if he fails the 2017 AFCON target.
But does the minister share the same position with the FA people, having explicitly stated that the coach must win the AFCON early next year?
Are we to expect Grant’s sack if he fails to win the trophy in Equatorial Guinea, since that is the target apparently set for him by the sports minister?
After all, the ministry is known to be the paying authority as far as the salary of the national coach is concerned, and for all that we know, “he who pays the piper calls the tune”.
It is quite disconcerting that the FA people hire the national coach and agree terms with him but when it comes to all the financial encumbrances they off-load them to the state to shoulder.
This is the crux of the matter and often the apparent rift between the FA and the sports ministry, and for that matter the government, when it comes to the termination of the contract of the Black Stars coach.