Sports
Building the capacity of our local coaches
THE issue of contracting local managers or coaches for our senior national team, Black Stars, has always been a matter of postscript rather than a priority. Maybe, that should not have been the case.
Whilst a school of thought fiercely holds the engagement of local coaches as the right technical brains for the national team, others disagree – believing that the ‘local breeds’ have not gotten to the expected apogee to handle a team in that class.
Respected football administrator and bankroller of Kumasi King Faisal, Alhaji Abdul Karim Grusah, has persistently insisted that there was no local coach available at the moment to handle the Stars.
“There is no coach in Ghana who can handle the Black Stars now. Let’s be honest with ourselves,” Alhaji strongly asserted.
Ghana’s Black Stars are currently without a trainer amid speculations of ongoing talks between the Ghana FA and Germany-based Ghanaian Otto Oddo and ex-Brighton boss Chris Houghton as regards the managerial position of the team. Other reports also suggested that a local coach be contracted as an interim boss ahead of Ghana’s Qatar 2022 World Cup play-off with Nigeria clash in March.
This nagging issue will continue to haunt us a nation unless we make it a policy to use our own people to handle our national team. Indeed, some chieftains of Ghana football believe that our game can make a significant progress if the nation drives away from the over-dependence on foreign coaches and rather concentrate on building the capacity of the indigenous ones.
Indeed, from George Edward Ainsley (1959) to Avraham “Avram” Grant 92014/2017), none of the 24 expatriates have been able to give Ghana gold at the continental front. All of Ghana’s four Nations’ Cup feats (1963, ’65, ’78 and ’82) have been masterminded by local coaches, clearly indicating that they have something up their sleeves. Admittedly, however, some of the local brains have let the nation down when given the opportunity; perhaps, the major reason for their failure being that they have not been given the free hand to manage the team as they would have wanted.
Ranking Member of Youth, Sports and Culture, who is also the Member of Parliament for South Tongu Constituency, Wisdom Kobena Woyome, agrees that the government need to improve the capacity of the local coaches in the country to be able to take up national team assignments.
“It’s sad that the technical team didn’t look sharp; the playing body showed some lackadaisical attitude. I have a soft spot for local coaches because I want us to build their capacity. Looking at the previous AFCONS we won, we won them with local coaches, so all I am saying is that, there’s so much we can do with local coaches.
“Question, however is, have they built the needed capacity of local coaches to deliver?,” he queried, insisting that it must be the responsibility of the system (government). This is the only way to stop appointing expatriates or looking for the best foreign coaches.”
About two years ago, President of Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Simeon Okraku, indicated that he had tasked the FA Technical Directorate to select 15 local coaches who would receive training to improve their capacity. It is not too clear what happened to that laudable strategy – which the Technical Directorate, headed by German tactician Bernhard Lippert, was mandated to vigorously pursue.
Okraku also assured that coaches selected would be offered the opportunity to add value to themselves by way of attachment beyond the borders of Ghana.
“Coaching is a very key part of the football ecosystem and the Executive Council of the Association do take coaching very seriously. It is for this reason that when we started this journey, we have taken steps to enhance the coaching capacity of our local coaches.”
Truth is that we have seen some kind of training for local coaches, but it is not enough. We would have expected to see the capacities of top local and former Black Stars’ coaches being enhanced. We can make mention of the likes of Sellas Tetteh, David Duncan, Maxwell Konadu, Kwesi Appiah, CK Akonnor, Mas-Ud Didi Dramani, etc, who could be sent for top technical FIFA programmes over time with the ultimate intention of taking over the national team. Others who do not get the top nod could be sent to build the cadet teams as they are expected to impart their knowledge on their assistants.
We have got to have a deliberate strategy of building from the junior level to the apex of the game.
The success of Burkina Faso coach – Kamou Malo, in the Cameroon African Cup of Nations, is enough to start thinking again of building the capacity of our own to handle the national team.
Malo was brought up playing football on the streets of the capital, Ouagadougou, but he trained for the police force and was about to sit his exams to become a police captain when he got the chance to go to Germany and study for his coaching badges.
He enjoyed success coaching domestically, including winning the title at Rail Club du Kadiogo, before getting the chance to manage the national team in 2019.
Having already given Appiah, Tetteh, Akonnor the opportunity to be at the helm of affairs, we could also identify one of the buoyant coaching names around and start preparing him to take over the Stars in the next few years. It is all about planning and we have to be ready to invest because nothing good comes cheap.
It is interesting to know that Stephen Keshi is the only coach from Sub-Saharan Africa to have won the AFCON this millennium.
“I would encourage those running federations in Africa to recruit local coaches. It was a risk but the results speak for themselves. We should have more confidence in ourselves and give local coaches the same opportunities,” Malo said.
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
