Feature: Is Abedi Pele's criticism of Nyantakyi fair?

As an avowed supporter of Ghana football, I feel a sense of unease and helplessness at the way the relationship between legend Abedi Pele and Ghana FA boss Kwesi Nyantakyi has plummeted.

The rapport between the two suffered a blow in the wake of the country’s nominations for the Caf executive committee elections late last year.

The three-time African Footballer of the Year was quietly nurturing his ambitions of representing Ghana at Caf through his strong connections in government while Nyantakyi was also interested contesting the elections in Sudan.

The Ghana FA’s executive committee approved Nyantakyi to contest the position but Abedi held out hope through governmental machinations until it became clear that the GFA boss would not budge.

The process drove a wedge between the two and the extent of the damage became apparent in an interview Abedi Pele granted the Africa Watch magazine this month.

The ‘Maestro’ boxed Nyantakyi on several fronts including the state of the league but sneeringly ignored the achievements of the Black Stars with their first two World Cup appearance under the current GFA boss as well as Ghana's U20 team winning Africa's only U20 World Cup title two years ago.

“You judge it (performance) by what someone has achieved locally and not what the foreign based players of the Black Stars achieved in the 2010 World Cup,” Abedi Pele said when asked about Nyantakyi performance.

“We look at organization, efficiency and hard work at all levels. All these things in the local terrain have been poor and for me that’s the way I judge, and that’s what I see.”

“Just look at the performance of Ghana at the just ended African Nations Championship (CHAN). That gives a clear indication that our football is in shambles and very gloomy in the future.

“But if Ghanaians are happy with Kwesi Nyantakyi’s performance, so be it.”

Abedi has raised the important barrier on the deplorable state of the local league but to blame it all on Kwesi Nyantakyi is disingenuous.

Yes the leader of the Ghana Football Association, Nyantakyi must take overall responsibility for the decline but he is not solely to blame for the rot.

It is expected that as he is the man in charge he must devise strategies to ameliorate the problems of the local league.

Nyantakyi has not done enough to stop the slave wages paid by most of the teams in the league, even though he has secured a lucrative sponsorship deal for the league. The 100 cedis per month paid by some of the teams is not only disgraceful but its modern day slavery.

The GFA has not been smart enough in dealing with the threat of the English Premier league and other European leagues on television in the country.

The federation is still standing idle while football academies are mushrooming through the country without any control with the sole purpose of selling players abroad while some of these talented players could be channelled through our local leagues until they mature to play in the top leagues of Europe.

Abedi might not be everyone’s cup of tea but some of the points he raised must concern all especially if very few people attend our local matches.

But to blame it all on Nyantakyi will mask all the serious factors working against the league which mostly are not within the control of the Ghana FA or its boss.

Club owners like Abedi also have the direct responsibility in helping to make the league attractive. The growth in the number of individually owned clubs instead of community-based teams is one the key reasons why local football is unattractive. More than half of the clubs in the Ghana Premier League are owned by individuals and as such supporters see no affinity with these teams. So when teams like Abedi Pele’s Nania FC, Liberty Professional or King Faisal play how many supporters do you expect to attend the matches when it only benefits and team owner and their family?

The migration of players to Europe and even obscure league of Veitnam, Bangladesh and India has also been the bane of our league. Club owners like Abedi have been too eager to sell their players abroad which had eroded the quality and they must also take the blame.

The massive corruption in the traditional clubs likes Hearts of Oak and Kotoko forced individuals like Isaac ‘TT Brothers’ Tetteh, Moses Armah and Kessben to stop their funding for these clubs to form their own teams. If there is a clear leadership structure for teams like Hearts, Wise, Hasaacas, Bofoakwa where investors would recoup their monies spent these teams can compete with Berekum Chelsea and Medeama to buy the best players and stay at the top of the league to provide excitement for fans.

Violence by fans at our stadia has scarred many fans who witnessed deaths during matches especially on May 9th 2001 when 126 people died at the Accra Stadium. Effort must be made to woo these fans back while encouraging new fans to attend matches knowing that they will be safe with fans comporting themselves even under extreme provocation of bad refereeing.

The issue of bad officiating, the impact of European leagues on television and slave salaries are issues Nyantakyi must address in his second term in office.

But we all have a responsibility. For us the media in promoting the game to the public, for the players to concentrate on playing well locally rather than thinking of moves to clubs in India and Vietnam. Club owners like Abedi must also do their bit by paying the players well and discourage them from leaving the country even at the least offer.

The Voice of Ghana blog appears weekly on www.mtnfootball.com and discusses pertinent issues on Ghana football.

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