Evans Atuick writes: Chris Hughton is GONE! What is the way forward?

It is obvious that Ghana's problem is not just a coaching or technical problem but a systemic one. Since 2017, Ghana has sacked coach after coach, but the results have not changed much. Ghana's current winner-take-all GFA presidential system is designed to self-destruct by its very character because the GFA president and his Executive Council Members (ExCO), who either own, manage, or have links with clubs, have vested interests in the selection of players for the various national teams.

Some of them are also into player management or serving as intermediaries for players.

As human as they are, they are likely to want to see players from their own clubs or those they are associated with invited into the national U-17, U-20, U-23, and Black Stars. Hence, if we scrutinize the selection of these national teams, we will definitely find players with close ties to ExCO members or people they know and who know them well!

These boys may not necessarily be the best of talents in the country.

Besides that, each GFA president brings in his family and friends to give them juicy positions in the secretariat or the various national teams.

But is it the standard internationally accepted practice that football people who own or manage clubs or players must be those administering the sport in any country?

It is never the case in established football nations around the world, including countries like Cameroon, Morocco, and Egypt. In serious football countries, neutral professional administrators, ex-footballers, etc., run their football!

Therefore, until Ghana completely overhauls the current system, the country's football will continue to suffer, even if Jose Mourinho or any top coach is handed the national team job.

Against this background, I proceed to make the following recommendations towards this systematic cleansing and overhauling of our football:

1. I propose an amendment to the football statutes and regulations to bar club owners, active club administrators, FIFA agents, and player managers from contesting for the GFA presidency and Exco membership!

The conflict of interests and the vested interests of GFA Exco members in some players are the reasons we are suffering. Go to the under-17 and under-20 camps, and you will see that the players are dominated by those with connections to exco members and their cronies, even though they may not necessarily be the best talents.

2. Retired footballers with no club ownership or affiliation, player management, or intermediary background; professionals, sport administrators, and lawyers with no links or association to clubs and football people alone should be cleared to contest for the GFA presidency and EC membership.

3. We must get rid of the so-called management committees for national teams! These are just job positions for the boys that put impediments in the way of national team coaches and players.

All we need is a national team coordinator or manager for each of the national teams who will work with the coaching staff and the GFA to find camping venues, hotels, etc. during competitions, etc.

4. In the absence of a competitive juvenile football league, we need to reignite the "academic" system of preparing for the future, whereby we have coaches select quality young talents at the district, zonal, and national interschool football sports competitions. These players must be kept and groomed for the future.

5. We need a Ghanaian-trained coach with experience to serve as technical director with a responsibility to design and mainstream our Ghanaian brand of football, starting from the academics to the national teams.

6. It is a shame we don't have a standard-quality national team camping and training venue equipped with an in-house state of the art gym, swimming pools, grassland and artificial pitches, a 2/3-star hotel, etc. The government must allocate resources to the money gotten from the World Cup to make this a reality.

7. We need a new national football stadium, or the Accra and Kumasi stadiums must be renovated to international standards for national team matches.

WILL THE FOOTBALL PEOPLE AGREE?
My take!

By: Evans Atuick
(CEO, Wiaga United FC)