Has Ghana football lost the favour of God?
…As All Facets of Our Game are Declining!!!
In 2005, when Dr Nyaho Tamakloe resigned under compelling circumstances as the Chairman of the GFA, Mr Nyantekyi then Vice Chairman of the GFA acted as Chairman until December that year when he was elected as substantive President over other competitors suchlike Y. A. Ibrahim, Ade Coker, Kojo Bonsu and Vincent Sowah Odotei.
The young learned, affable President likened to Junior Jesus led Ghana to play and win all our 5 remaining matches in the 2005/6 World and Nations Cup qualifiers to qualify for our first ever World Cup finals in Germany. When we went to Germany for the finals, we beat on song countries like Czech Republic and USA to become the only African country to reach the round of 16 in that tourney.
In 2010, he again steered the country to qualify for our 2nd World Cup finals in South Africa and in the tournament we were able to equal Africa’s best performance in the history of World Cup by getting to the Quarter finals.
Then again we made to Brazil in 2014 and our thinking was that looking at our arithmetic progression in the soccer mundial in the previous tourney, our targets was to reach the semifinals and probably try to win it. Unfortunately, that became our worst World Cup participation both on and off pitch.
The team was eliminated in the first round ,Players boycotting training because of unpaid bonuses ,a player physically assaulting a management committee member of the Blackstars, a player insulting his Head Coach in the presence of everybody, flying money from Ghana to Brazil to pay Team bonuses subjecting us to international ridicule, inter allia. The 4th attempt to qualify for the 4th successive World Cup finals in Russia is what we are in today, Ghana has 2points from 3games whiles Uganda and Egypt have 7 and 6points respectively. At this point, only God can save us.
With regard to AFCON performances, we reached our high point in Angola 2010 and Equatorial Guinea where we got to the Grand Final, our last participation in the AFCON 2017 in Gabon, we could only manage a 4th place.
Assessing the Blackstars B under President Nyantekyi, we reached the Grand Final of the CHAN tourney in 2009 and 2013 in Ivory Coast and South Africa respectively; we were unable to qualify for the 2016 and 2018 editions of the tourney.
On the Black Meteors, we won Gold at the All African Games in 2011 in Maputo but in 2015 in Congo, we were kicked out in the group stage. More importantly, the Meteors Team has failed to qualify for the Olympics games (the biggest sports festival in the world) since 2004.
On the Satellites Team, we reached the apogee in 2009, where we won both Africa and World Youth Championships; we haven’t come closer to this feat again. Our best has been to get to the final of AYC in 2013 in Algeria and winning Bronze the same year at the World stage in Turkey.
On Starlets, since 2007 when we reached the semifinals in World U-17 Championships in South Korea,we did not qualify 2009,2011,2013,2015 editions of the tourney.
The trend is the same for Women Football under President Nyantekyi.
The Black Queens were 2nd to Nigeria when it comes Women football on the continent, but today countries such as Equatorial Guinea,South Africa and Cameroon have surpassed us. In 2006,the Queens lost the final of the Africa Women’s Championships to Nigeria in Nigeria. Since then, our closest has been clinching Bronze in 2016.
For the Black Princesses, there has been a STALE performance from their end. They have always qualified for and participated in the last four editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup but FAILED in all occasions to go beyond the Group Phase.
The Black Maidens on their part won Bronze in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2012 in Azerbaijan and the attempt to equal or better this feat has been to reach the Quarter finals in 2016 in Jordan.
Even at Club level, Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko were the finalists in the Maiden edition of the CAF Confederations Cup in 2005 which Hearts won. Since then, the only time a Ghanaian club has made a significant impact on the Continent has been in 2012 and 2016 when Berekum Chelsea and Medeama SC respectively qualified for the Champions League and Confederations Cup Group Phase but failed to qualify for the semifinals.
Our poor showing in CAF Inter Club Competitions have affected our Coefficient Rankings in this regard. Thus our Club Slots for Africa Club Championships has been slashed down from 4 to 2.
From the aforementioned, it is palpable that ALL FACETS of our game are DECLINING. The Successes Mr Nyantekyi engineered and masterminded for the GFA in the early years of his reign, it has become extremely difficult if not impossible for him to equal those feats let alone bettering them.
Which is why I asked “HAS MR NYANTEKYI LOST THE FAVOUR OF GOD UPON HIM”???
From the way the football events are Geometrically Retrogressing, it won’t be surprising if Most Ghanaians remember our Intelligent GFA President for what he did TO the GFA and not what he did FOR the GFA.
I am in love with these 2 Akan adages “ensuo kye ahina mua, eyi hua”.”Barima beyee bi,na wan meye ne nyinaa ”
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW AND MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS US ALL.
Nana Adu
Sports Journalist (Ahotor FM)
0242685122
ahotoronline.com|Ghana
