Six shortlisted for GFA Technical Director role

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has shortlisted six candidates as it inches closer to finding a suitable person to fill the vacant Technical Director position.

The successful candidates, according to the GFA General Secretary, Mr Prosper Harrison Addo, comprise three Ghanaians and three expatriates.

Selection process

Mr Addo told the Daily Graphic yesterday that a GFA Select Committee arrived at the shortlisted applicants through video conferencing interviews.

The technical director position became vacant following the retirement of Coach Samuel Francis Oti-Akenten, whose contract expired at the end of March 2020.

The technical director’s role is a prerequisite of FIFA and the GFA intends to appoint Mr Oti-Akenten’s successor as soon as possible.

Mad rush for position

It will be recalled that the GFA opened applications for the position of a technical director last month after which over 100 people sent in their applications before the March 20 deadline.

Mr Addo, however, revealed that applications were still pouring in long after the deadline.

He hinted that the selection committee would continue to engage the shortlisted applicants through video conferencing until it arrived at the preferred choice.

He declined to disclose the identity of the shortlisted candidates since some of them were still under contract with their current employers.

Final phase

According to Mr Addo, the GFA was in a hurry to get the best candidate to man its novelty technical directorate to be situated at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence at Prampram, which has been handed to the government to be used in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that the video conferencing that was employed to get the six shortlisted applicants had tremendously enhanced the process.

He indicated that the same channel would be used to choose the right candidate in the shortest possible time.

“We will announce the successful candidate immediately we’re through with the process,” he assured.

Mr Addo said the select committee would submit its final report to the GFA Executive Council for approval, followed by the official announcement of the new technical director in due course.

He pointed out that in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the suspension of football activities, the GFA Executive Council had been organising meetings through video conferencing, hence would treat the issue with dispatch when it was forwarded to them.

Technical Director’s role

The new technical director is supposed to supervise the technical development and progress of local coaches and the various national teams.

His responsibilities will include planning and executing a long-term programme on how to raise standards of national teams and also cut a clear path for the integration of junior national team players into both the Black Stars and Black Queens.