Sports
Numekevor’s dismissal …more questions than answers
Dodzie Numekevor
Sacking a person for obvious non-performance is an action that can be applauded by majority of people, maybe except members of the victim’s immediate family, dependents, beneficiaries and other close allies.
If it is obvious that the person is non-performing, why keep him/her there?
An example is when every opposition party in this country called for the immediate sack of then Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori Atta. So intense was this call that every negative thing was associated to him. Ghanaians were made to believe that his dismissal will return the country to the right path.
Government was lambasted on a daily basis until he was removed from office. But if one should ask what has changed, those that clamoured for his removal would not tell you much; his removal has come as some relief for them.
It however, becomes a bitter pill to swallow when circumstances around the sack is unclear like the case of the new Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Dr Dodzie Numekevor, whose dismissal on Tuesday came with more questions than answers.
His termination letter from the Office of the President left the sports publics confused because it was silent on reasons for the decision.
Well, in cases when reasons for dismissals are obvious, letters terminating such appointments often assign those reasons as personal.
However, that scheme also leaves doors and windows open for all manner of beliefs or assertions for such an action.
Within a period when the state of football infrastructure in Ghana has dominated the media space following comments by visiting coaches that played in Ghana recently, plus anger by CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, over the absence of at least one football facility to host international football, alluding the decision to the above mentioned problems, becomes an easy thing.
It can be right or otherwise.
Having occupied this office for just six months but becomes a sacrificial lamb for some years of decay supervised by his predecessors is just unfortunate for Dr Numekevor.
Even if he was expected to fix the major infrastructural challenges facing Ghana, he could not have done that within the stipulated time he had.
He inherited Accra, Cape Coast, Tamale and to some extent the Kumasi facility which were in terrible shapes and could do nothing much about them without funding.
It presupposes that the reasons for his sack may be more than Ghana not having one good facility to host a CAF Category 3 matches under his tenure.
Views like his supervision of the hiring of the Baba Yara Stadium – then the only ground with a CAF approval to host matches – for 10 days or so for a church programme have also been expressed and believed to be one of the reasons for his dismissal.
If it was so, then it was a grievous fault and grievously did Numekevor answered it, as captured in Mark Antony’s speech in the book Julius Caesar.
Sadly, Numekevor has suffered this fate for the inefficiencies of his predecessors who stayed in office for longer periods but did nothing worthy of note to avoid the problem we face as a nation.
And as a country, this should be the time to make a policy about the direction to go regarding playing surfaces which always become topical issues when the Black Stars are assembled and pushed back after that assignment.
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
Medeama dare Chelsea in Golden City Park …Hearts, Kotoko locked up in tough battles away
A blockbuster clash is expected at the Golden City Park at Berekum tomorrow, when former league champions, Medeama SC and Berekum Chelsea, cross swords in a top match day 17 Ghana Premier League fixture.
Games between the two sides have left fans at the edges of their seats, and tomorrow’s clash is expected to follow the status quo.
More so, Medeama will be coming up against their former technical head, Samuel Boadu, who, since leaving the club, has been a thorn in their flesh anytime he comes up against them.
With seven points separating them, Medeama SC lie seventh on the log, three places above their host, and will need to dig deep into their rich reservoir of form and experience to be able to come out of the ‘Golden City’ unscathed.
Premier League leaders, Kpando Heart of Lions, will also lock horns with third place, Nations FC, at the Kpando Sports Stadium.
A point separates both teams on the log, and that has drawn a lot of talking points, going into the game tomorrow.
Nations FC go into the game as one of the two best teams, with four away wins. This record is likely to influence play as leading goal scorer of the campaign, Faisal Charwetey, leads the line for the visitors.
Bottom club, Legon Cities, will stay put at the Legon Stadium to host 14th-placed, Dreams FC, at the University of Ghana Stadium in Legon.
That game is one for strugglers but has what it takes to generate the fireworks as they bid to snatch the points at stake to boost their survival quest.
Accra Hearts of Oak will travel to Samreboi to face Samartex 1996 in another game expected to produce a lot of thrills.
The Phobians have been on a good patch of form in recent times, chalking very important feat to claim a place at the upper part of the league table.
Playing away, they have shown resilience and courage and have not been intimidated at all, a situation that has made it difficult to brush them aside.
The story would not be different this time but the strength of the opposition would make it a more difficult encounter.
Samartex, after an impressive display in African club competition, appear to have taken the foot off the pedal and gradually dropping to the middle and lower ranks of the table.
This dip in performance is what they seek to bib in the bud as they welcome the Phobians in what can be described a do-or-die battle.
Porcupine Warriors Kumasi Asante Kotoko would welcome new boys, Vision FC, to the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.
The Reds are obvious favourites in this encounter but they have been very inconsistent. That obviously presents a chance in the game as they aim to cause the biggest upset of the event.
In other games, struggling Accra Lions will welcome second-placed, Bibiani Gold Stars FC, at the WAFA Park in Sogakope; Nsoatreman FC will host Karela United at the Nana Konamansah Park in Nsoatre; Basake Holy Stars will return to the Crosby Awuah Memorial (CAM) Park to engage Aduana Stars, while Young Apostles and Bechem United battle each other in a Bono derby at the Wenchi Sports Stadium.
By Raymond Ackumey
Sports
Give us a Sports Minister of substance
It is that time of the political season where ‘Fellow’ Ghanaians will have to show their lobbying skills to catch the attention of a freshly elected and sworn-in president and his vice.
Like it is done in the legislature where ‘Honourables’ must work hard to get the attention of the Speaker, so must fellow Ghanaians scramble for space, swerve every obstacle to submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Usually, one must be well connected to more powerful people closer to those on the corridors of power for a CV to land at the appropriate place.
The scramble at the end of the day is to be favoured and selected for a ministerial role. When one is successful and even cleared by the house of Honourables, the victor is likely to serve as a Minister of the state for a period only God knows.
For some, it is after this that they can beat the chest proudly and state “Yes, I have arrived.”
But it is mesmerising how the efforts of the ambitious ones can be thwarted by comments or suggestions from another set of fellow Ghanaians.
These kind of fellow Ghanaians are the ones that lacks the prerequisite to desire the aspirations of the ambitious group.
At least through various media platforms, they make their voices heard on who should be selected for which ministry and give reasons why.
This happens very often but as to whether it is heard at the corridors of power, it will be difficult to tell.
Happenings in the current political ‘cocoa’ season has been no exception. Certain offices have been inundated with a lot of these CVs that an announcement had to be made for it to stop.
It may have stopped but what will be difficult to stop, may be the lobbying and those offering words of advice on who should be selected and who should be ignored.
Ahead of the announcement of a Minister of Sports and recreation (MoSR), there have been a lot of conversation over who to consider for the post and what the person brings to the table.
Some have called for an abrasive leader, expecting him to be tough and have either a thick skin or develop a dead goat syndrome to deal with perceived ills in the sector.
Some have gone to the extent of choosing such people to specifically deal with some actions or persons at the Ghana Football Association (GFA); as if that is where all the problems of Ghana sports emanates from.
Some have come up with many other suggestions; all in a bid to get someone cut for the role of the Sports Minister.
This is gradually making the role of the Minister of sports and recreation as the most difficult one; and perhaps no longer education, finance and labour etc.
But whatever happens, the selectors must carefully consider the true needs of Ghana sports and have a good knowledge of it as well as it current administration globally.
If we say sports has become a business, the sports minister nominee must fathom what it means and what is required to make it so.
The nominee must know and accept that sports is not just football. Apart from football, Ghana has over 50 sports federations, all depending on the national cake for survival.
The decoupling of the youth from its functions and replaced by recreation should also aid the nominee in categorising these sports disciplines.
By the rule of competitive advantage, the nominee must decipher those with realistic chances of doing well to be pushed. What we need is a Minister of substance and be firm to all but fair.
By Andrew Nortey
