Coaches cry foul
Some coaches of the National Sports Authority (NSA) are unhappy about the performance of Ghana at the just-ended All Africa Games.
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One of them, Mr. Albert Nukpezah, who lamented the poor performance of the Prof. Francis Dodoo-led administration, blamed the professor for all the challenges that the Ghana Athletics Association(GAA) and the team are facing currently.
“Why should Prof. Dodoo select athletes for us when we have a technical team?” he queried.
The tough-talking coach revealed that his team was at the games without him, arguing that the situation contributed to their poor performance.
“Before one becomes a head coach he or she must become a trainer, assistant coach, senior coach and finally a principal coach and I have gone through all that to be here so I know the inside and outside of the sport”, he contended.
“I didn’t go to Beijing for the Olympics Games; I didn’t also go to Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games and was also out of the contingent to the just ended All Africa Games in Congo”.
Also aggrieved over his elimination from the contingent was the head coach of the national volleyball team, Justice Adjasoo who argued that things would have been different if he were there.
“Both my male and female teams went to the All Africa Games ( AGG) without me and it is only the authorities who can explain this”, cried Mr. Adjasoo.
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A source close to Dora Sarpong, the coach of the national women’s table tennis team, revealed that Dora was also left behind while her team went without a coach.
When the Graphic Sports contacted Dora she refused to comment on the matter obviously for fear of losing her job at the NSA.
“I don’t have anything to say oo, I’ll be here when they return”, she stated tersely.
Responding to the allegations, the Chef du Mission, Mr. Saka Aquaye, said that the NSA could not afford taking all the coaches to the games and that they took either the male or female coach depending on the magnitude of work.
“We can’t send both of them for each sport, Owusu Ansah is the most qualified coach for the table tennis teams and he was there and even the 303 athletes and officials were too many”, he stressed.
“Nukpezah, who is complaining is on retirement. He is no longer the head coach of the athletics team so there was no need taking him there”, Saka Acquaye stated.
He defended Prof. Dodoo, arguing that the professor selected two local coaches and one from the USA, who had already been training the athletes ahead of the games.
He disclosed that the professor personally took over the cost of transportation; accommodation and feeding of the athletes whom Nukperzah claimed were not qualified yet selected by the association.