Sports-Kuofie attributes stagnation in soccer to myriad malpractices
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 18 September 2001 - Mr Ben Kuofie, Ghana Football Association (GFA) Chairman, says Ghanaian soccer has stagnated because of malpractices in football administration.
"When you have a situation where football administrators are stealing money, coaches engage in taking bribes from parents before calling their wards into junior national teams, referees taking bribes from club officials, then we have a serious problem."
Mr Kuofie was speaking at a meeting between the GFA Management Board and stakeholders in football in Ashanti, which included retired footballers, various club representatives, coaches and referees in Kumasi on Monday.
He noted that while gate proceeds collected at matches were supposed to be used for the welfare of players, the money rather went to enrich some individuals and said such a situation was unacceptable.
He expressed regret that those charged with the responsibility of promoting the development of juvenile and women football were engaged in stealing, cheating and bribery and the end result, he said, was that the game had stagnated.
The GFA Chairman said realising the extent to which Ghana football had stagnated due to several factors, the association has embarked on a five-year development plan designed to move the game forward.
He gave the assurance that the association was determined to ensure a real positive change in the fortunes of Ghana football within its three-year tenure of office. In this connection, therefore, he said, the GFA would work to eliminate the rot in football administration, adding that in doing so it was not going to be myopic but would ensure that the change was felt nationwide.
Mr Kuofie expressed disappointment at the behaviour of officials of some top premier clubs saying that while the GFA wanted the senior national team to start preparation from Monday towards the African Cup of Nations in Mali and had, therefore, invited players for camping, the clubs were refusing to release them because they feared their absence would affect their fortunes in the premier league.
While accepting the explanation of the clubs, he said they should realise, however, that the Black Stars would lose at the Cup of Nations if they did not prepare adequately adding, "simply put, the clubs are not prepared to let the country win".
Mr Kuofie said those clubs were not being fair to the GFA adding that they would be the first to point accusing fingers if the Stars lost. He said under the blue print he had submitted for the development and promotion of football, players would join the senior national team at the age of 22 and that there would be stringent measures to ensure that over-aged players were not used in the under-17 team.
The GFA chairman noted that it was only in Ghana that there was a very good under-17 national team, which performed very well at the world level while the senior national team performed woefully and attributed this to cheating.
Mr Kuofie warned that the GFA would close down any venue, which recorded hooliganism saying that a special committee, which sits every week to scrutinise reports and the performances of referees had been set up to deal with such complaints swiftly.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Return to top