Revoke Coach Appiah’s contract!
Some Ghanaians are outraged and deeply unhappy with the FA’s decision to renew or extend Coach Kwasi Appiah’s contract for another two-year term despite the abysmal performance of the Black Stars at the just-ended World Cup tournament in Brazil.
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What informed that decision and the huge rise in his remuneration cannot be envisaged. The decision, to say the least, is an insult to the intelligence of many Ghanaians and a desperate and mischievous attempt by the GFA to cover gross incompetence.
A number of reasons have been assigned by the management and technical team for our inability to advance to the knockout stage of the competition. These include player revolt and agitation over delayed payment of their appearance fees, and indiscipline.
Some of the players have also cited FA officials who accompanied the team of feeding fat on their sweat, their failure to hold good to their promises, poor preparation, lack of appreciation of players ‘ welfare which led to low morale and lack of team unity.
For purposes of this piece, the writer will like to deal with the issues raised by the FA and the technical team. This was not the first time Ghana had participated in the World Cup. For the previous tournaments what had been the practice? Was appearance fee negotiated? When was it paid? And what was the mode of payment? The fact that we are told by the GFA president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, that the GFA proposed $82,500 and the players insisted on being paid $100,000, which ended in a deadlock, suggests that appearance fees are negotiable.
The questions being asked are why was the deadlock not resolved before the tournament and, indeed, when was it going to be resolved? It was an issue which could not have been taken for granted since it had the potential to affect the morale of the players.
The GFA president has also confirmed that since 2006, money had been flown to pay for the appearance fees of Black Stars players at World Cup tournaments. He indicated that in Germany 2006, and in South Africa 2010 cash was paid to the players as appearance fees.
The talk about player indiscipline is merely scratching the surface of the issue. When did legitimate demands become indiscipline? How would one describe the recent nationwide strike by University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to press home their demands for the payment of books and research allowance?
For Sulley Muntari to slap a member of the GFA Executive Committee, Moses Armah (Mosepacka), must be unreservedly condemned. Equally, for Mr Armah to hit back at Muntari was a clear demonstration of lack of self-control which must be condemned also.
One is tempted to think that there was some misunderstanding between the two over the issue before the meeting was convened. Muntari is noted to be quick tempered and lacks emotional control in the face of least provocation or frustration, which requires counselling.
He was the brightest spot in the Black Stars in the first two matches Ghana played. He played with passion, determination and commitment to see Ghana qualify for the next stage. His vast experience in international tournaments and skills were clearly evident Sulley, like any other human being, has his shortfalls and we must pray for him and assist him through counselling to overcome. We should not use him as a scapegoat. We need to recognise individuals’ unique personalities and manage them constructively.
The challenge with most professional footballers is how they handle their idle time. A number of them resort to bad habits, such as smoking and drinking, extra-marital affairs, irresponsible and lavish-spending.
These habits have negative effect on their performance at matches. That is why player selection should not only be based on skills and abilities but character as well.
As it is said, talent without character is nothing more than a bad apple. Good work ethics, passion for what one does and the desire to excel, are the hallmark of a winner.
The assertion that our players are money conscious and crazy about it can be supported by history. We all know the plight and predicament of ex-members of the Black Stars team who diligently and selflessly won laurels for the nation and have become paupers and unable to pay for their medical bills and to buy prescriptions.
Footballers generally retire before age 40 and the unfortunate ones end their career abruptly with serious injuries. They need to secure their future and make hay when the sun shines before darkness falls.
Those who think they are demanding ridiculous amounts of money which are completely crazy, live in a different world. What can you say of Gareth Bale of Real Madrid who earns £300,000 a week? Money is now linked to success in football.
Upon what standards were Coach Appiah’s performance evaluated and consequently his contract extended?
As the head coach, one needs not to remind him that he was ultimately responsible for the performance of the team in Brazil. Coaches who are fired for not achieving the desired results are common to the profession.
The head coach takes strategic decisions which could cause a team to lose a game, such as bad player selection, player positions, bad game plan, poor substitution, and inability to make decisive changes or adjustments and to make a difference in a tight game. We all saw Appiah’s technical incompetence as he had no answers to the technical challenges.
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Indeed, Coach Appiah had the coaching job literally handed to him on a silver- platter without any coaching track record as head coach. His experiential training had been in the capacity of an assistant coach of the Black Stars.
The argument being made in favour of a local coach is untenable. The Black Stars compete internationally and not locally. The choice of a coach for the senior national team should be strictly based on expertise and technical competence to measure up to the demands of the job.
We did not spend time, effort and money to go to the World Cup just for appearance sake but with hopes and expectations that we would improve upon the team’s previous World Cup performances or at least maintain the last tournament enviable feat. That is why some of us felt really bad when the call for superior technical adviser to beef up the technical bench was rejected.
The incidents which led to our painful exit, particularly reports of player revolt, player indiscipline and subsequent suspension of Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng, are indications that Coach Appiah lacked people’s management skills and did not have the innate ability to connect with the players. He could, therefore, not build trust and respect which are vital in team management. His influence as a leader was lacking and that caused us.
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As it is said, football is a tough game and football players are, to varying degrees, tough people. Generally, tough people respect someone they view as being at least as tough, if not tougher, than them. The fact is, if players feel their coach is a pushover, and doesn’t properly command control of the team then they likely won’t respect him and take his word serious.
Tough in this context means ability to push players to excel, hold all players to the same standards, expect maximum effort from players at all times, and most importantly, ensure that all players adhere to the rules and expectations set forth for them.
A coach is expected to make time with players on and off the field and deal with personality challenges and provide the needed counselling. I do not think that he was just a ceremonial coach.
Coach Appiah made vital decisions which impacted on the team’s performance and he should be held accountable. When he deployed Kwadwo Asamoah to the left-back position against the wishes of many Ghanaians, who should be blamed if the move did not yield positive result?
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The bottomline is that the coach has woefully failed to live up to expectation and his contract should be revoked. We need serious-minded persons who can take serious and decisive actions. Coach Appiah simply does not have what it takes to handle the senior national team (Black Stars).