Amigo is Spanish for a male friend. Likewise, Amiga, for a female friend. Incidentally, in my estimation, two Amigos, as it were, should bear responsibility for the waste of rare resources that could be put to better use.
At the Brazil 2014 World Cup, most Ghanaian fans aspired, yet the dream expired, instilling misery in the spirits of compatriots all over the world, who hit rock-bottom from the luxury of Ghana’s historic quarter-final berth at the 2010 edition in South Africa.
That is the mainspring of this article that seeks to explore one such friendship between two amigos, Kwesi and Akwasi, to the national cause, going forward.
I have noted that the first of these Amigos, Kwesi Nyantakyi, president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has displayed, perhaps, an amazing ability of creating chaos when there should be absolute peace.
In the case of the second Amigo, Kwasi Appiah, handed the reins of the senior national football team, the Black Stars, based on the sentiment that he is indigenous, even if not prodigious, has displayed an amazing ability to do very little with a whole lot, face-planting at the group stage of the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup, managing A WHOLE ONE POINT, out of a possible NINE.
Yet, like the true friend he is, Kwesi rushed to his friend’s aid, not only with the first aid, but with the best aid reserved for returning conquering heroes, even though Kwasi Appiah turned out to be the worst Ghana national coach at the senior World Cup.
In line with their respective ‘strengths’, at a post-Brazil 2014 press conference in Accra, President Nyantakyi stayed bullish of Coach Appiah, and went on the offensive, brandishing an attitude that matched an unruly crowd extolling his achievements in a manner I found incompatible with the status and symbol of his office and inimical to the maintenance of law and order in our society.
Subsequently, the FA president spearheaded the re-signing of the patently, subpar Coach Appiah, in the interest of who? Himself or the public?
In sticking with Coach Appiah, does Nyantakyi expect a different result? Even a baby is known by what it does. Coach Appiah loses; he is no winner of laurels.
Why the rush to ensure the coach stays the course, give him an equivalent of a 100 per cent raise for failing, and a signing-on bonus of a reported sum ranging between $100, 000 and $150, 000?
While I ponder, I cannot help but note the modus operandi of the FA’s leadership, infinitely engendering conflict and controversy over fiscal prudence.
By endorsing his amigo Coach Appiah, the FA president has endorsed failure, guaranteeing failure for the Black Stars in the immediate future. For, Appiah has not proved his mettle with laurels as the Black Stars coach.
Also, it portrays the FA as not first-class, never mind world class, one not committed to excellence, the key ingredient of good stewardship necessary in building championship teams, thereby destroying the rich legacy during Nyantakyi’s tenure spanning the two previous World Cup campaigns.
Taking a cue, Coach Appiah has dug in his heels, striving to convince even the gullible that he is in charge of the Black Stars, and that he would focus on young players, going forth, closing the door to some of the senior players, whose experience is crucial in building championship teams.
I suspect that statement stems from the spinoffs of the mismanagement of the Black Stars players at the World Cup, during which senior players (Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng) were tossed out on grounds of indiscipline, even though the FA created conditions that gave rise to that uprising, by failing to resolve the appearance fee saga, l-o-n-g before landing in Brazil.
Most young players belong to the domain of youth competitions, NOT THE SENIOR NATIONAL TEAMS, with a few exceptions, the ilk of Colombia’s James Rodriguez, who at age 22, won the Golden Boot at the 2014 Brazil World Cup with six goals.
At the senior level, every serious football nation (is Ghana one?) knows it cannot do without senior, star-players, in order to shine and win laurels. So, if Coach Appiah really strives for laurels, why has he picked or did he not pick, the current core of the Black Stars facing Uganda in a continental qualifier, a few weeks away, minus Sulley Muntari, a relentless soldier in midfield, given to breaking up plays plus a high accuracy rate of goal-scoring passes?
Like it or not, Muntari is a star, even in his twilight, the reason he shines. He might not be an angel; neither is he the devil. He has anger management issues, just like Coach Appiah has coaching-expertise issues, just like ex sports Minister, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has issues in the administration of football in this country.
Since Afriyie Ankrah and Kwasi Appiah have been given hardly-earned reprieve, why deprive THE REAL STAR, not the scars, the same clemency, and learn the inherent lessons?
That is certainly not the way to build a world class, championship team. That list must be revised to include Muntari, following a concerted effort to reconcile both Muntari and Moses Parker, the FA management member with whom he exchanged fisticuffs in Brazil.
Also, that list should include Abeiku Ainooson and Augustine Okrah, voted best defender and best player respectively, of Ghana’s premiership the past season. That way, Ghana would be treading on a new path to super stardom in world football, instilling discipline in the ranks of management, technical as well as the playing body, with a sterling coaching staff calling up ONLY STARS SHINING FOR THEIR CLUBS, HOME AND ABROAD, NOT STARLETS, AND JUDGES WARMING BENCHES OF EUROPEAN SIDES.
Current world champions, Germany, proved it with an array of stars — excellent first-team players at their various elite clubs — that showcased a glittering performance throughout the tournament, thanks to a luxury of quality strikers whose great finishing were a powerful example for the wise to emulate.
Even Bayern Munich star, young Mario Goetze, the super-sub that won Germany the World Cup with a golden finish during extra time, was eased into the team, piecemeal, along with Chelsea striker Andre Schurrle, because of senior, proven stars like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Mueller and the legendary Miloslav Klose, the all-time World Cup tournament top scorer.
That is the formula for success formulated by the German coach, Joachim Loew, for the world to learn.
Even a few of the young players Ghana featured at the failed mission in Brazil, Christian Atsu, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, and lately, Jonathan Mensah, have all added their voice to the clarion call for a careful blend of proven difference-makers, home and abroad, and a very few, young but excelling first-team players at elite European club sides, to be fused, piecemeal, into a solid squad for glory at the grand stage.
Yet, the two amigos have different ideas that may not necessarily be of use for the national cause. Instead of focusing on the elephant in the room, i.e, resurrecting dignity from the indignities of Ghana’s campaign at the Brazil 2014 World Cup, they create problems and further compound issues, as though they were vying for the Hall of Shame.
Is it logical to equate failure to success, and subsequent promotion, plus a fat bonus? I contend that re-signing Kwasi Appiah to coach the Black Stars, is a rip-off, akin to scoring an own goal, detrimental to the fortunes of Ghana football.
It is unacceptable that between the two amigos, they have managed to bring the game and the name of Ghana into disrepute, turning our dear, beloved country into a global laughing-stock.
It is time to part company, amigos. There is a special place for Coach Appiah, called the national Olympic football team, the Black Meteors, where he can get all the young, unproven players he wants, and impart to impact them on the field, with the right attitude, buying completely into his philosophy.
Then, he would gain the opportunity to build a strong squad to qualify for the Brazil 2016 Olympics, and build on Coach Sam Arday’s bronze-winning squad at the Barcelona ’92 Olympics, with a gold medal a la Nigeria and Cameroun.
Any right-thinking member of society would know that a future that requires no change would be the same as the present or even worse. Given that, I wonder what interest Nyantakyi has in re-signing subpar Coach Appiah?
If the Nyantakyi-led FA digs in to keep the status quo, then impose a technical advisor on Kwasi Appiah, then Nyantakyi should be surcharged with the undeserved payment of the coach’s salary, his signing-on fee and other conditions of his stewardship, for the foreseeable future.
Till the GFA reaches the age of sober reflection, I say, adios amigos Kwesi and Akwasi.
