Having craved for the power, or to put it politely, the opportunity to run Ghana football following the crisis that hit it with the Anas exposé, the Normalization Committee’s takeoff has been to a large extent underwhelming.
The NC’s stewardship almost a month after it was appointed by FIFA could be likened to a political party that promised the heavens to the masses just to capture power and yet seem clueless as to what to do when given the nod.
One very obvious thing they refuse to acknowledge, which is quite laughable is that they are the Ghana Football Association in itself – or to be precise, they wield the executive power.
There has been so far a tireless attempt to make a distinction between the Normalization Committee and the Ghana FA. A big fat joke!
They are always careful in their communications in stressing it’s the Normalization Committee of the Ghana Football Association. This gives the clearest indication that the NC don’t even appreciate the fact that they are literally the FA.
The height of this comedy, at least thus far, is the backdrop displayed during a pre-match press conference of a meaningless friendly match against Asante Kotoko – an innovation of the NC following the cancellation of Ghana’s 2019 AFCON qualifier against Sierra Leone – where the underneath the logo of the Ghana FA, it’s inscribed the Normalization Committee.
This is akin to putting the Executive Committee underneath the logo of the GFA in a backdrop. An ‘unhillarious’ joke!
Most worrying is that these blunders are being committed even before the ‘real’ work of the NC commences.
They have to tackle the issue about which club will be representing Ghana for CAF Inter-Club competitions by the end of this month. How this would be done especially
They would have to decide on what to do with the current season.
The Normalization Committee which by the way has replaced the Executive Committee of the GFA had appointed famous sports journalist Dan Kwaku Yeboah as its spokesperson.
The NC have every right to make such an appointment, but then it ends up complicating issues.
At the GFA is a Communications Department headed by a Deputy General Secretary Ibrahim Sannie Daara. Members of that department include Tamimu Issa, William Bossman and Julius Hansen Sackey.
With the appointment of Yeboah as the spokesperson of the NC which in effect is the Executive Committee, are we then to believe he only speaks for the Executive Committee of the GFA?
What becomes of the entire department and its leader?
The status of General Secretary Isaac Addo remains unknown as his duties have been taken over one of his deputies Alex Asante.
The fate of the close to 100 staff members remain uncertain at this point with the GFA headquarters still closed down over claims it is undergoing some sort of renovation.
Clearly, the NC need some assistance to steady this shaky takeoff. This doesn’t show weakness, or incompetence – it is plainly being smart.
Luckily for them at least, GHALCA seems to be taking up one major aspect of their work in conducting an exercise of proposing reforms and amendments to the GFA’s Statutes, Disciplinary Code, Code of Ethics and Competitions.
But it is about time the NC wakes up from its slumber and start taking the initiatives for which it was appointed in the first place.
Credit: Footballmadeinghana.com