GFA gives Kwasi Appiah raw deal
The sacking of Black Stars’ Coach Kwasi Appiah by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has generated mixed reactions among football enthusiasts, with some hailing the decision and others criticising the GFA for it.
Advertisement
The voices against and in support of the dismissal of Coach Appiah are so loud that it is difficult to determine the verdict.
However, it is increasingly becoming clear that although some point to the low confidence level of the coach for his sack, there is a school of thought that holds the view that the GFA has handed Coach Appiah a raw deal.
Raw deal
In spite of the abysmal performance of the Black Stars in Brazil, never experienced in their three consecutive World Cup campaigns, and against a clarion call for the sacking of the coach thereafter, the GFA decided to retain Kwasi Appiah.
At a post-World Cup press conference in Accra on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 to announce the retention of Kwasi Appiah, the GFA President tasked the coach to qualify the team to the 2015 African Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco.
A day after the press conference, on Thursday, July 3, 2014, Mr Nyantakyi told Peace FM, an Accra-based radio station, that sacking Kwasi Appiah “will not solve our problem”.
“If you go and bring another coach, you are starting from scratch and there is no guarantee for success…. Sacking people is not an automatic solution to the problem," he said.
Mr Nyantakyi said the FA felt obliged to "help" Appiah and so it would work towards upgrading his skills to enable him to perform more effectively, adding, “It’s not yet time for a change of leadership”.
Other Trending Stories
But two months after passing that vote of confidence in Kwasi Appiah, the GFA has handed a dismissal notice to the coach, thanking him for his “diligent service to the country as the coach of the Black Stars for the past two years”.
“We wish him every success for the future,” it said in a statement issued after a meeting with the sacked coach.
Divergent views
Two prominent Ghanaians who hold divergent opinions are a former GFA boss, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe and a legal luminary, Mr Francis Kojo Arhur.
While Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe applauds the action of the GFA and described it as long overdue, Mr Arthur said the GFA President, Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, should be surcharged with any compensation to be paid to Kwasi Appiah or, possibly, prosecuted for causing financial loss to the state.
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe stated: “This is one coach who, right from the onset, showed lack of self-confidence,” he said, adding that due to the lack of self-confidence, the former Black Stars skipper did not command respect, even from the players.
He said a coach was a leader who should be able to talk to people and be in command but, in his opinion, Kwasi Appiah failed to measure up to those qualities.
Furthermore, he said, Kwasi Appiah lacked the tactical knowhow of the game, adding that even in his last match against Togo in Lome, which the Black Stars won 3–2, the coach did not play any tactical formation to win the match.
He added that the coach’s approach to the game throughout his tenure had been “touch-and-go, touch-and-go”.
According to Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, Kwasi Appiah could not also instil discipline in the players and he lacked the courage to even substitute some players who did not perform well in a match.
Looking into the future, the football administrator is not bothered about whether to go for a local or foreign coach to replace Kwasi Appiah provided whoever gets the job is competent, courageous and can deliver good results.
Asked whether there were local coaches who fitted his standard, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, who is noted for his no-holds-barred comments, said he believed there were coaches of such description in Ghana.
“I am not going to scout for the FA; the FA must look for its own coach,” he remarked.
Advertisement
The criticism
But mounting a strong attack against the GFA for the action, Mr Arthur said: “The whole of this country should come together for once and call his bluff. He cannot hide behind FIFA immunity and misconduct his office,” he said.
The Graphic Sports broke the news about the sacking of Kwasi Appiah in its Friday, September 12, 2014 edition, citing highly placed sources within the GFA.
The move came as little surprise to many people, given the bold writings on the wall – his poor performance at the World Cup tournament in Brazil and the arrival in Accra of his former boss, Milovan Rajevac, to reportedly take up a job as Technical Advisor of the national team.
Unlike Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, Mr Arthur is not enthused about the GFA’s decision to sack Kwasi Appiah.
Advertisement
He said the GFA President should be personally held liable for any financial liability that might arise from the action because he knew Kwasi Appiah would be sacked and yet he retained him.
“Kwasi Nyantakyi has taken Ghanaians for a ride for far too long and it’s high time we called his bluff,” he said.
Mr Arthur said what the Black Stars needed now was not a coach to teach players how to cross balls, but a manager who would be able to manage the players in all aspects of the game.
Writer’s Email: kofi.yeboah@graphic.com.gh