Why the Ghana Football Association (GFA) chose to release their presidential election vetting committee report, disqualifying George Afriyie (Kurt Okraku’s contender), less than 24 hours before the kickoff of the Black Stars’ final AFCON 2023 qualifier against the Central African Republic in Kumasi is baffling.
The Ghanaian football populace including those in the administration of the game are sharply divided. One of the failures of the Kurt regime has been their inability to unite football enthusiasts and just when many, by national pride, were rallying around the Black Stars, the only entity that binds us in our football, the GFA, in a poorly conceived move, published the disqualification of the only credible opponent to Kurt.
George Afriyie’s camp rightly rejects the verdict of the vetting committee. They would appeal within the given time. The inconsistency and ineptitude of the GFA, whether or not it is deliberate, should not be lost on any discerning mind. This is the same body that only last week announced the suspension of election-related processes citing a court action instituted by Alhaji Karim Grunsah concerning the polls.
The case was to be heard on September 6. The court has now adjourned the matter to September 19. It is questionable why the FA would supposedly suspend election-related proceedings because of a court action yet turnaround desecrate the wisdom in the purported suspension. Whatever it is, this is an FA that does not seem bothered by the increasing loss of public confidence in them.
It is an erroneous assumption that because the public follow the Black Stars with enthusiasm, that equals the trust they have in the FA. The discerning public invariably sifts issues. The Black Stars are national pride. Ghanaians would follow them but reject the FA that poorly manages their local game. That is why we would support the Black Stars and pray for them to grab the 2023 AFCON ticket while keeping the Kurt administration on their toes.
It is decision time for Chris Hughton and his charges. They have a chance to improve and impress football fans today in Kumasi. They must beat Central African Republic to make it to Ivory Coast next year. Let us put our differences aside. Let us cheer the Black Stars because regardless of who is heading the GFA, Black Stars belong to all of us.