Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Saturday, July 5, 2014
PRESIDENT JOHN Dramani Mahama has empanelled a
three-member committee to probe circumstances that led to Ghana’s abysmal
performance at the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The committee, to be chaired by Justice Senyo
Dzamefe of the Court of Appeal, will have Lawyer and Sports Administrator,
Moses-Foh Amoaning and Sports Enthusiast, Kofi Anokye Owusu Darko, as members,
and is expected to present its report within 30 days.
Unremorseful
GFA
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) officials held
their first news conference in Accra on Wednesday – after the Black Stars had
been pushed out of the tournament by Portugal. It appeared that they were
unremorseful in spite of the incidents in the camp of the Ghanaian team in
Brazil, which have since reduced the country to a laughing stock in the eyes of
the world.
Millions of dollars were spent on what many believe
was shoddy preparation towards the tournament; and accusing fingers have been
pointed at Elvis Afriyie Ankrah and Kwesi Nyantakyi, Youth and Sports Minister
and President of the GFA respectively.
Terms
of Reference
A statement issued in Accra and signed by Mahama
Ayariga, the new Minister of Youth and Sports, indicated that the setting up of
the three-man team to review Ghana’s participation was in furtherance to
President Mahama’s call for a probe into the team’s performance.
The three men are expected to “inquire into matters
relating to Ghana’s Black Stars team’s preparation for the tournament and
possible lapses therein which might have caused their early exit from the
tournament, as well as inquire into matters relating to the management of the
Ghana Black Stars team and events in their camp during the tournament.”
They will also “inquire into matters relating to
Ghana’s treatment of Ghanaian football fans who were sent to support the Black
Stars by the Ministry of Youth and Sports; advise government on the financing
of activities of the Senior National Team and other national teams; as well as
inquire into all other related matters of public interest concerning the
organization of Ghana’s Black Stars’ participation in the tournament.”
Mr. Ayariga reiterated government’s commitment to
act on the recommendations that would come from the committee, adding, “The
government believes that a forward-looking inquiry will expose lapses to
engender reforms to improve the organization of Ghana’s participation in future
football tournaments.”
Worst
Performance
The Black Stars were eliminated from the tournament
at the group stage after drawing against Germany and losing to the USA and
Portugal and it became the country’s worst performance at the World Cup.
The sacked Minister, Afriyie Ankrah and the GFA
officials, particularly Kwasi Nyantakyi, are being accused by critics for the
incidents in Brazil.
Allegations of financial impropriety and conflict of
interest in the travel arrangement of the more than 600 Ghanaian football fans
that were airlifted to Brazil have been attributed to the actions of the former
Sports Minister and the GFA officials.
Tour
Operators
For instance, Chief Executive of Kenpong Travel
& Tours, Kennedy Agyapong, in an interview with host of Peace FM’s flagship
programme, “Kokrokoo”, accused Mr. Afriyie Ankrah of breaching the terms of
their contract by personally taking over the company’s responsibilities for
providing transportation, feeding and accommodation for the teeming Ghanaian
football fans in Brazil.
According to him, after airlifting 270 passengers to
on the ticket of government, the former Sports Minister arrogated to himself
some organizational responsibilities regarding the sponsorship of the
supporters to the World Cup.
Chief Executive Officer of African Travel &
Tours, Sampson Deen, also revealed that upon reaching Brazil, Mr. Afriyie
Ankrah blacklisted him and his company from any further discussions regarding
the wellbeing of the supporters, hence taking over the job of Travel &
Tours.
Plethora
o f Complaints
The Ghanaian contingent arrived in Ghana last
Sunday, with a plethora of complaints from fans that were flown to Brazil. They
complained of being housed in leaking rooms infested with fleas. Some of the
supporters had allegedly queued to use the toilet facility.
Ghanaian ace midfielder, Kevin Prince Boateng,
described the entire organization of Ghana’s trip to the globally acclaimed
tournament as ‘corrupt’.
“There are a lot of issues involving this team which
Ghanaians don’t know so they say what they feel like. They (officials) are all
corrupt and they always want to make money from us without working for it. I
know I may not be called into the team again but I’m highly elated that I
belong to the anti-corrupt group in the team (Sulley, Dede Ayew, Jordan Ayew,
Kwarasey, Kwadwo Asamoah, Essien and myself),” he told a German newspaper in a
no-hold-barred interview late last week.
“Everything – the hotels, the flights –was
amateurish,” Kelvin Prince Boateng flared.
Appearance
Fees
The situation in the Ghanaian camp eventually
deteriorated when the players insisted on getting their ‘appearance fees’ paid
in cash before they could play their last match against Portugal. The match
ended in Ghana’s 2-1 defeat, leading to the Black Stars’ ouster from the
tournament.
Each player was entitled to a US$100,000 as his
‘appearance fee’ which was supposed to have been given to the players before
the tournament started.
Chartered
Plane
The rancor forced the Ghanaian government to order
about US$4.5 million (the government insists it was $3.5 million) to be
physically airlifted on a chartered plane to Brazil.
No comments:
Post a Comment