After First Trust G6 tournament, what next?
It is common knowledge to every football fan in Ghana that some few decades ago, football gala was a competition which served as a prelude for teams in the Premier League to be ready to engage themselves in a national league.
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And the fans were there for the two-day, do-and-die challenge to showcase their new signings, their colours and capabilities. It was a lovely competition which began in earnest and ended late the second day at the Accra Sports Stadium.
It was something worth spending money to watch, and it dragged people from all corners of the land to the venue to cheer on their favourite clubs.
I recall one of those days when Accra Hearts of Oak fought on, to the finals to meet a very stubborn Akosombo Akotex in a grand finale and when Hearts emerged champions, it conjured a whole night's celebration which started at the Stadium with "Jama" to Chokor and its environs, and what a day to see our old men and women, boys and girls joining in the jubilation
Those were the days everything went according to plan and everybody knew what the next season would bring, when it would start and when it would end, even a year before kickoff.
What at all might have thrown away such a fine system to the dogs, and what is being done today to bring back such happy days for football where people could not sleep over the enjoyment of seeing their clubs in action, even not minding travelling long distances just to watch their beloved Asante Kotoko or Hearts on any day as the years wore on? But even as the gala gave way to the "Top Four", the atmosphere was the same, and clubs who could not win the competition still prided themselves in being made to participate in the new competition.
There is no doubt that the gala indicated how the last season ended, and how the new season would be expected to be extra competitive. Indeed, the winners obviously have the bragging right to predict victory in the coming season.
But here we are, the present condition with fans apathy to the national assignment leaves much to be desired, a situation which suggest that we are seriously backsliding and leaving fans in limbo. How come that certain minor cases of allegations of match-fixing which could be dealt with at one or two sitting by the Disciplinary Committee of the GFA could lead to months of long arbitration? It bugs the mind.
I wonder how competent those who adjudicate on such cases could be. Yes, as at now, two cases involving the Division One League (DOL) teams Techiman City and Wa African United on one hand, and the one between Dream FC and Tema Youth Sporting Club are responsible for the delay in the commencement of the new Premier League season, and for unknown reasons the cases have be dragging on until now.
Everybody is worried over the delay and at the maiden awards night organised by the Division One head sponsors, GN Bank to award excellence in the division, Mr. Kwasi Owoahene Acheampong, chairman of the DOL Board urged the Disciplinary Committee of the GFA to expedite action on the cases brought before them by the aggrieved clubs. He expressed concern about the delay in the delivery of judgement over such matters.
He said this, as early as last December but up till today, the challenge put before the FA has not been given the needed expedition, and the whole nation is missing the passion we really need to enjoy. Right now, there are no signs that things would receive the needed quick attention for the commencement of the league as some of the cases have jumped over to the FIFA Arbitration Committee (CAS).
What makes it impossible to end our cases at our local level still beats the mind, and the followers of the game have gone to accuse the FA and its Executive Committee for the poor handling of minor cases for the smooth running of the competition as we had it in the immediate past.
It must be noted that all these are the causes of difficulty of securing sponsorship as is being experienced by the FA. And surely it must be the reason why the current head sponsors, the First Capital Plus Bank (now Capital Bank) have taken the unusual decision to suspend their deal with the FA. I must say that the GFA has a lot on hand to streamline the game which has produced and still producing lots of talents in the country, with everybody praying that there would be sanity for a smooth take-off of the new season.
Meanwhile, as we toy with our calendar, the so-called synchronisation of our league with our European counterparts has been thrown off-gear, as some of the European clubs have already played their 22nd week games.
The GHALCA Invitational G6 tournament has ended, and every participant and their followers have been able to assess their standards and how ready they are for the next season. But to a large extent, the most pathetic case, is the fate of some of the coaches that guided their clubs to the tournament, especially looking at the way the Hearts of Oak coach openly said he did not know his fate owing to the abysmal show of his charges at the Sekondi Stadium where they could not score a single goal.
More questions are being asked now about the technical and tactical capabilities of the Japanese American, Kenichi Yatsuhasi, who seemed regrettably betrayed.
It is one of the possibilities of dealing decisively with coaches who could not perform, but to me, Hearts must allow him some time to put things in the right perspective before jumping into conclusion. Well, maybe he would need a few more exercises for his boys before picking their level.
All the clubs in the premiership are calling for an end to the long arbitration to see to reorganise themselves for a new competitive season. I feel it is time for the FA to amend their rules and regulations especially where they would have to take the bull by the horns and settle matters at home before they get out of hand.
