Avram Grant has said it all
The football marriage between Israeli coach Avram Grant and the GFA has ended after his two-year stint with the Ghana Black Stars. While some people diplomatically put it that he had resigned from the job, he himself said that was not the case. “My contract has ended, and there was no need for me to resign” he said in a television interview.
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His two years stay on the job was not a particularly smooth one. Many Ghanaians never liked him for two main reasons. His monthly salary of $50, 000 was considered somehow sacrilegious.
This group of people are not conversant with expatriate salaries and conditions of service and so when they apply the Ghanaian arithmetic and translate the dollars into cedis, they feel uncomfortable and agitated. Secondly, some of the anti Avram Grant critics cannot understand why he stayed outside the country more than inside.
His television interview clearly showed that he was not interested in our local league, especially in its management. He criticised the type of pitches we play on and the rather very low salaries that are paid to our local players and so, apparently he puts very low value on football in Ghana.
His value is on those who are able to endure the harsh conditions at home and find themselves playing outside the country with better facilities and remuneration.
Avram Grant admits the high talents in Ghanaian football including our local one and this is where we have to agree with him. Fact is, as a nation we have to acknowledge the important role and contribution of football in our national development programme.
During the vetting of the new Minister of Youth and Sports, Isaac Asiamah, Mr. Mahama Ayariga, a former Minister of Youth and Sports disclosed that world football contributes about $1.3 trillion GDP of the world economy. Ghana is an essential part of world football, but we do not have any figures to potray our contribution to the world GDP.
Nobody knows and it appears nobody is interested but we should take some interest in it. We hear of GDP in agriculture, industry and many others, but not in sports or football. We are aware of captain Asamoah Gyan’s basilica and other rumoured investments and those of the legends, Abedi Pele, Azumah Nelson and others.
Perhaps this is exactly why some of our governments pay scanty and relegated attention to our sports and football. This must change and it must change with our new Minister plus our new President.
It was not for nothing that our national sports, especially football, prospered during certain political regimes. I am talking about the regimes of President Nkrumah, Head of State Kutu Acheampong, Presidents John Kufour and Atta Mills. They loved sports and cared about its development.
The achievements are there for anyone interested in our sports development to know. Both Nkrumah and Acheampong personally supervised the portfolio of sports during their tenure of office.
While President Nkrumah’s achievements are well coded and remembered, many Ghanaians may easily forget that apart from heavily renovating the Accra and Kumasi Sports Stadia, Kutu Acheampong put up mini sports stadia in many parts of the country, through his special assistant, Lt. Col. Simpe Asante. He also hosted and won the AFCON 1978.
President Kufour heavily built on this. He also refurbished and enlarged the Accra and Kumasi Stadia and went ahead to builed one each in Sekondi and Tamale. During his tenure, Ghana started its appearance and continued participation in World Cup tournaments.
During the reign of the late President Mills, our participation in the World Cup continued unabated. He also continued from where President Kufuor left off and completed the Cape Coast stadium.
Indeed, it was during this period that Professor Kwamena Ahwoi brought GNPC into the sponsorship of the Black Stars team and this paid great dividends, at least in the hiring and maintenance of our national coaches.
Fact is, nothing just happens. If we would appreciate the immense contribution of sports, especially football to our national GDP, our governments have to take a look at their budget allocations to sports development.
It is not for nothing that youth development has been wisely grouped with sports development. It should be clear that while we develop and grow our sports, our youth development will also grow and develop.
Data is scarce in our football. But a cursory calculation can easily tell us the number of jobs that are provided by just our Premier and Division One teams. And these are supported by private sector initiatives.
If our governments care to support these initiatives, our football will grow, improve and employ many more youths and, very gainfully too. We are continually recruiting and nurturing young footballers both male and female, but we appear not to have the capacity to maintain them to become stars.
Our football leagues will improve and become attractive if we can maintain and keep the stars. They are the sure attractions to spectators and fans. The problem is not some Nyantakyi. The problem is the right investment and support. Every Government invests in sports development and so Ghana cannot and should not do otherwise.
Avram Grant is gone and another coach will come but if we as a nation, do not put our acts together we will continue to count and lament over the number of AFCONs we have participated in without winning the trophy.
Above all, we must unite behind our national teams. Sports, especially football, is too important for us to handle in an unprofessional manner. Avram Grant may be gone, but he has left a message for us. Our pitches are bad. We do not pay our coaches well. We do not pay our players enough.
Perhaps if he cared to know how much our referees are paid, he would have added them to his list. May we listen to him even in absentia.