Sports
Another look at the local coach
• Ocloo – Made a case for local coaches
Disciples of the domestic game in Ghana have been asking a plethora of questions as to whether securing the services of an expatriate coach is the solution to the success of club football.
This interrogation may have been triggered by a current event where an Assistant Coach of Hearts of Oak – David Ocloo, took charge of the club to beat a full-time Head Coach of rival side Asante Kotoko – Seydou Zerbo, in the betPawa Ghana Premier League (GPL) clash last Sunday in Accra.
There was a beguiling piece of drama ahead of the 1-0 victory over Kotoko.
Indeed, two days ahead of the blockbuster, specifically on Friday March 3, disgruntled fans of Hearts chased out the club’s head trainer – Coach Slavko Matic, from the club’s sports complex at Pobiman, in the north-western part of Greater Accra.
The Serbian coach arrived at the training ground, evidently, to prepare his boys ahead of the week-20 titanic clash against their sworn rivals only to realise that he was not going to be allowed in by a band of fuming Hearts supporters who, apparently, were unhappy by the club’s bad patch in the ongoing Ghana Premier League (GPL).
Hearts had lost their last two games at the Accra stadium against Aduana Stars and Great Olympics – results that threw the supporters into a fit of fury.
Noticeably, the Phobians looked to have cut a frustrated side heading into the game, with Matic, having had to watch the big game at home – the police having cautioned the Serbian trainer to stay away from the club until further notice.
The nit-picky situation compelled his assistant – Ocloo, to step into the ‘hot’ seat for his boss. Ocloo knew all-too well that he was confronted with a taxing task of upstaging Kotoko for the ‘double-do’ glory. Nevertheless, he took a ferocious dash of the challenge and knocked it off brilliantly – beating Kotoko for the maximum points – and swaggering away with the Presidential Cup as well.
It was generally agreed that Hearts’ performance on the day was magnificent as the team created an avalanche of opportunities that blew many people away.
One lesson learned was that we should not downplay the quality and talent of the local coach. True, it brings to the fore the braininess of local coaches – who for many years, have been looked down upon – as if they were a bundle of chaff.
Instead of treating our local coaches with disrespect and disparagement, let us rather put in place a strong system to ensure that their technical skill and know-how as well as their general appreciation of the game, is upgraded.
Once they are upgraded to the required internationally acceptable standards, they would be able to rub shoulders with their colleagues in the other parts of Africa and the world at large.
Our coaches, indeed, have demonstrated overtime that with a little push, they would mushroom into the best technical brains many clubs and national teams would want to scramble to have.
In all their continental conquests, Ghanaian clubs have always relied on the local sweat merchants for glory. No foreign coach was able to conjure the magic!
Kotoko’s first conquest of Africa in 1970 was spearheaded by a local coach – Edward Aggrey Fynn, a feat that was repeated 13 years later by Ibrahim Sunday.
Similarly, Coach Jones Cecil Attuquayefio led Hearts to its first continental feat – a CAF Champions League glory in 2000. Four years later, the same sweat merchant inspired the Phobians to CAF Confederation Cup success by upstaging rival side and compatriots – Kotoko, in the grand finale in Ghana.
The ball is now in our court – as to whether to continue relying on the expats or build on the competence of our own.
It is sad that we do not treat our own with reverence but are all-too prepared to make the expat coach very comfortable and yet they produce almost next to nothing.
The Kotoko coach takes home a US$3,000 monthly net salary plus other mouth-watering incentives. Hearts’ coach Matic is said to be pocketing something far more than his counterpart.
Juxtapose this with what our local coaches are taking home, and you would understand the picture being portrayed here.
King Faisal, Hearts, Kotoko, in the past seasons, have dashed for the signatures of foreign coaches who end up leaving with the same flight with which they dashed in – most often achieving next to nothing!
Is that the way to go?
By John Vigah
Sports
GFA, SWAG discuss devt of Ghana football
The Ghana Football Association, led by its President, Mr Kurt Okraku, has called on the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) as part of efforts to strengthen the corporate bond between the two institutions.
The delegation, made up of some executive members and regional football heads, were warmly received by the leadership of SWAG.
Mr Okraku in his speech said the visit was key following the new path the GFA was taking to revive the football fraternity, and to officially present himself after being elected as an Executive Member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
He stated that SWAG, with over 1,000 members, had been at the forefront in promoting Ghana sports, hence the need to work together in achieving its target.
The President urged the leadership of SWAG to continue its task of ensuring members keep some level of credibility and fairness during their reportage.
He said adequate preparations had been made to ensure the Black Stars put up a good show in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Madagascar.
“We’ve spoken to the team, and they have assured us they are ready for the game.” Stephen Appiah, who is the Vice Chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee has confirmed, adding that “Otto Addo and the rest of the team have also assured wins in the two games.”
Responding, Mr Kwabena Yeboah, President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana, thanked the delegation for the long-lasting relationship with SWAG which he described as being fruitful.
“We have one agenda and that is to develop football. Even Though we have not fared well in recent times, I believe the football association still has some plans laid down and that is what we are seeing today,” he noted.
He congratulated Mr Kurt Okraku on his new role as an executive member of CAF, reiterating his hard work over the years.
The GFA President’s election to the CAF Executive Committee comes as recognition of his remarkable leadership, serving as the sixth Ghanaian to achieve that height.
He said despite this success; the poor performance of the Black Stars had written off the good works of his administration as President of the football body.
Mr Kwabena Yeboah assured the Ghana Football Association of SWAG’s commitment to keep high level professionalism in its dealings.
He thanked the delegation and urged them to call on the association for help anytime.
Sports
Okraku’s rise to CAF ExCo
The rise of Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kurt Okraku, may come as a sucker punch to many of his critics in Ghana especially.
For those critics, nothing good can be identified with his administration. It has been stretched to the extent that any negative occurrence in the game is quickly attributed to him or his administration.
In fact, Kurt Okraku’s name in some quarters has become the definition of any negative occurrence in the game in Ghana.
However, it beats the imagination of all how such a person, who is often the most criticised, maybe apart from government officials, continue to earn international recognition.
The Black Stars have failed to shine; climaxing that catastrophe with a failure to qualify for the next edition of AFCON. The other national teams have all struggled under him.
For this reason he has been chastised.
But in the face of these failures, Kurt Okraku was elevated to an Executive Member position at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) at its congress held recently.
One would then ask the obvious question whether it is the case of a dislike for him that has shrouded the efforts he is putting in to develop the game in Ghana.
In a rare encounter with him recently, one of the questions I asked was why is he criticised on daily basis for the work he’s doing?
But his response was quite instructive.
Drawing an analogy from good old book – Bible, he practically preached to me about the story of the Lord Jesus Christ who was not accepted in his own home but was accepted outside his jurisdiction.
“My brother, I have no idea why people criticise me that much. They may have their reasons for doing that but I look beyond them. Even our Lord Jesus was despised by his own people. I am focused on doing the best for Ghana football. Maybe, if I don’t get the recognition today, a future generation may recognise my effort,” he said.
He may be true in a certain sense. Many times, people do not treasure the good things they have until they lose it. This is very common in many facets of life.
Irrespective of where one stands, his elevation to the high office of a CAF Executive Member is one Ghanaians cannot intentionally ignore.
Mr Okraku is the sixth Ghanaian to be occupying that office and faces the challenges of keeping the flag of Ghana high and improve the image built for the country by his predecessors.
Perhaps the efforts at the WAFU Zone ‘B’ level were so minute that it escaped the lenses of his critics but obviously, a top post at CAF is too big to be ignored.
He deserves the commendations of every Ghanaian. What he needs is the support of all but that is not to suggest that he has grown about criticism. Ayekoo Mr Okraku!
By Andrew Nortey
