A follow-up: “Mr. Nyantakyi, stop defending yourself and concentrate on your work!”

A thought-provoking article under the above quoted heading written by one Mr. Christopher Opoku, which appeared in www.footy-ghana on November 15, 2014, deserves attention from all Ghanaians worried about the dysfunctional pathways of Ghana soccer development under the current GFA leadership. In sum, what Mr. Opoku is suggesting is that people in the leadership position, such as Mr. Nyantakyi (GFA president), must channel whatever management skills and energies they have toward confronting the numerous challenges facing their offices rather than reacting overly defensive regarding public criticisms. In fact, Mr. Opoku's suggestions could not have been more right.

Everything articulated in the referenced article by Mr. Opoku makes a lot of sense and more so captures the lingering sentiments shared by a large segment of Ghanaian soccer fans around the globe. Maybe the little “disappointment” here is that Mr. Opoku's article does not go far enough to call for the resignation of the GFA's leadership as some prominent soccer observers in Ghana have already called for. Nonetheless, it does not change the fact that Mr. Opoku's perspectives contained in his article underscore other equally important aspects of the general consensus of many Ghanaians about this GFA's public relations acumen under Mr. Nyantakyi. The point is, regardless of what Mr. Kwesi Nyantakyi and his minions think about themselves, there is no doubt that the current GFA leadership has run out of creative ideas; hence, it is imperative that it gives way for new people with more innovative ideas and vision.

The context of the whole bragging drama is that in a previous interview granted by Mr. Sammy Osei-Kuffour in which he opined that given the lack of fresh ideas at the GFA under its current leadership, he (Osei-Kuffour) would have stepped down had he happened to be in the saddles of the country's football governing body. Apparently, the views expressed by the ex-Bayern Munich International did not sit well with the GFA's president so he came out swinging unprofessionally at Mr. Osei-Kuffour. Aside from its disingenuousness and hyperbolic oversell, it was comical for Mr. Kwesi Nyantakyi to get so defensive in response to an honest critique by Mr. Osei-Kuffour, a former Ghanaian world-class soccer star. If an ex-professional footballer of Mr. Osei-Kuffour's caliber “doesn't have any competence to talk about managing football in the country,” according to the dictates of Mr. Nyantakyi's stuffy egos, one wonders who else besides the amateurish GFA has the expertise to offer any workable suggestion toward the soccer development in Ghana?

Here is Mr. Nyantakyi boastfully reacting to Osei-Kuffour's unflattering appraisal of GFA's poor management class: “I personally think that Kuffour's comments are unfortunate and I am sad such a comment came from him. He has not managed football in any level, yes he has played to the highest level but he has not managed football and he doesn't have any competence to talk about managing football in the country." Are you really serious, Mr. Nyantakyi? It is unsettling that someone who is said to have law background like the GFA president embraces this kind of illogical thought process. Clearly, Mr. Nyantakyi's line of thinking here reinforces his incompetence as exposed by many well-informed Ghanaian soccer watchers, including Mr. Osei-Kuffour. One doesn't have to be Ghana's president to offer a critique of the directions of the nation's presidency. GFA is a public entity financially supported by Ghanaians.

As Mr. Christopher Opoku has rightly lamented in his article, many of us wonder if GFA, including Mr. Nyantakyi, has any savvy PR professional(s) providing effective communication strategies on how to respond to public criticisms without coming across like clowns. In any event, Mr. Nyantakyi and all those who think like him in the halls of GFA need to be reminded that the major reason Mr. Michel Platini has been competent as the president of European Football Association is because “he has played to the highest level” of soccer. Unlike Mr. Platini, the current GFA head cum executive member of the clueless CAF, have not played any world-class soccer managed by competent administrators ever before. On the other hand, Osei-Kuffour had played soccer under poor as well as competent managers/administrators throughout his past professional career; so, he has a pretty fair idea regarding managers with novel football ideas. Hence his worldwide soccer exposure and experience on the field make him more credible and competent than all the GFA members combined.

Looking closely at how the country's soccer has been run from the top-down instead of the bottom-up, it is quite obvious the Nyantakyi-led GFA is lost in the wilderness of creativity. Yet, Mr. Nyantakyi appears to see himself as someone with messianic mission destined to take Ghana and perhaps the entire African soccer to the “promised land” in the not-too-distant future. In that regard, it is not surprising that Mr. Nyantakyi says he is “one of the best soccer brains in Africa,” which means no one is qualified enough to assess his subpar leadership.

Well, any “best soccer brain” worth his salt will not take a national team to the World Cup stage and disgrace themselves to the whole world. Let Mr. Nyantakyi explains to all Ghanaians what actually constitutes his claim of the “best soccer brain.” Many of us know the substandard level of football in Africa in the midst of abundant talents and the so-called soccer “brains administrators.” Many of the African FAs care more about money, sponsorships or partnerships at the national teams' level than developing football at the grassroots' level. The present GFA fits right into that category. In most cases, leaders who are the “best” don't even brag because they know that their impeccable job performances will speak for themselves. Let Mr. Nyantakyi be mindful that if he is one of the “best soccer brains” in Africa, he should just cut the empty boast and show it through deeds. Focusing excessively on the Black Stars is not the only yardstick for measuring the country's advancement in contemporary football.

Bernard Asubonteng is a blogger and media analyst based in the USA. He can be reached at asubonteng@globalpulpit.com or at his weblog at: www.globalpulpit.com