The re-elected West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Zone B President, Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, remains keen on catapulting the sub-continental football union into a major force on the global scene.
Nyantakyi received the endorsement of the WAFU general assembly for another two-year term in Kumasi last Wednesday, and with a savvy focus on developing every aspect of the game in West Africa, the sky appears to be the limit.
Speaking exclusively to the Graphic Sports in his hotel in Kumasi, the Ghana FA boss who was returned unopposed at the WAFU Zone B congress said West Africa had driven football on the continent, and the potential was there to go even further into the global arena.
Two years ago, Nyantakyi had the unenviable task of taking over a union so cash-strapped and unattractive to sponsors to the extent that it has been rendered inactive for some time.
The once-cherished WAFU inter-club championship, for instance, had ceased operating, and the rot had even been extended to the WAFU Nations’ Cup.
But, after working hard to bring back the Nations’ Cup, Mr Nyantakyi has declared the revival of the inter-club competition beginning next year.
It will be on an annual basis. Besides, every year, WAFU would organise the national team competition, which could be on any of the levels – women, youth, national men’s team etc.
Both competitions, he said, will help market the local players, adding,” Even for the current tournament, scouts and agents are all over looking for players”.
In the highly competitive football industry, business skills, managerial experience, and networking are all critical components for advancing the game.
And the Ghana FA chief, as an experienced manager, is looking at securing major sponsorship for WAFU competitions as well as training of its critical staff.
“In the past the major problem for us has been sponsorship but we hope to overcome this hurdle as we move forward,” he said.
On training of critical staff, Nyantakyi said attention would be on referees. “You will bear with me that referees play a key role in the development of football and we can’t ignore them in our attempt to move forward.”
He argued that football is growing on the sub-continent, and using the “good show” put up by the competing nations in the WAFU tournament in Kumasi as an example, he was confident that given the right support, and an unwavering focus on the most important part of the sport, West Africa would maintain a stranglehold on the game in Africa.
The WAFU boss debunked an assertion in some quarters that the exodus of players from the sub-region to the lucrative leagues in Europe had played a major role in reducing standards in the local game.
Mr Nyantakyi pointed out that in South America, players continued to leave the local leagues in their numbers every year, yet the region is not bereft of quality players and quality clubs.
“Exodus, yes but we are able to replenish the stock, “Nyantakyi said.
He stated that players leaving Ghana, for instance, was good for the nation because after all they come back better to play for the national teams.
One other area he hopes to tackle is youth football saying, “We cannot ignore this area if we want to see strong teams in our countries.”
On the low patronage for the just-ended WAFU tournament, Mr Nyantakyi attributed it to low publicity and against the backdrop that the days leading up the tournament coincided with the Ghana-Egypt World Cup second leg qualifier.
He described his re-election as a testimony of the confidence his colleagues had in him and pledged to work to expectation.
