Following developments of what has been widely reported in the Ghanaian media as gross interference of the Government in the affairs of football administration of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) in terms of managing national teams, former President of the GFA, Togbui Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has urged the current Kurt Okraku led administration to tell the Government not to cross its boundary, or resign.
The Government compelled the GFA to dissolve the technical team of the senior men’s national team, the Black Stars following Ghana’s premature exit from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, and have the head coach, Milovan Rajevac fired. The search for a new substantive head coach and reconstitution of the technical team then began by the GFA, but the Government also brought in Chris Hughton to be the coach of the Black Stars.
The GFA Communications Director, Henry Asante is on record to have said, in an interview with Joynews that the GFA is of no knowledge of Chris Hughton’s appointment for any position concerning the Black Stars coaching job. In the end, the GFA ended up appointing former Ghana international Otto Addo to lead the Black Stars on the interim, while Chris Hughton functions as Technical Advisor to the technical team, a move which is in sharp contrast to the GFA’s earlier position. The situation has led to the Government [of Ghana] being accused of interfering in the affairs of the GFA, and Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe has given his opinion on the matter.
“I will give you a classic example [of government interference] which is happening now”, Nyaho commented, speaking to GTV Sports+ on Saving Our Passion on Thursday. “After our abysmal performance at the last AFCON, we’ve come back home, we are thinking about getting qualified to the next World Cup. Now we don’t have a substantive coach, we are now looking for a coach and all we hear is that Government itself has brought in a coach, and the FA itself went out looking for a coach”, he narrated.
The Accra Hearts of Oak Board Member stated, that if he were to be the GFA President now, he would have resigned based on the excessive government interference in the running of the national teams, or call the Government to respect the boundaries and desist from acting ultra vires.
“I can assure you, if I were to be the FA Chairman now, I will take my pen and resign especially when a committee has been put in place [to hire a coach for the senior national team] without the knowledge of the President of the FA. It is only through this that we shall learn how to really govern ourselves and be discipline. But we keep quiet over such issues and time and again it happens, so that is where the problem is”, he advised.
Dr Nyaho further noted, that in Africa where the economies of countries are of low standard, it will always take Governments to fund football, specifically national teams, but where the government wants take advantage to unduly interfere in the administration of the FA, then the Association must be bold enough to call them to order.
“In Africa Government will keep on supporting football, but when they want to dictate to you, the President of the FA must be bold enough and call their bluff! That’s all, that’s the only way”, he stressed.
