Essien & co. must go

Author: Ato Kwamena Dadzie

The Ghana Football Association is taking too long in arriving at a decision on what to do with three key members of the senior national team who went on AWOL last week. Michael Essien, Sully Muntari and Asamoah Gyan failed to join other team members on a flight to Luanda to play an international friendly with Angola.

Obviously, they felt the trip to Angola was unnecessary – a waste of their time and energies. So instead of showing up for the flight, they sent an emissary to the airport to collect their passports from the team managers. They offered no explanations and no apologies were rendered. They just wanted their passports back.

That sort of behaviour doesn't help build a strong team capable of winning trophies. It is this sort of behaviour that has deprived the national team of any cup-winning glory for almost 30 years.

There is no doubt that Essien, Muntari and Gyan are key members of the Black Stars. But that does not mean that they can do whatever they like and get away with it. If the Ghana Football Association and the Black Stars' coach are really serious about winning any trophy they should kick Essien, Muntari and Gyan out of the Black Stars. No one is indispensable.

On this, I agree with former FA chairman, Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe. The FA should take a firm decision on this matter and send a strong message to the players that impunity and indiscipline will not be tolerated.

So far it seems the GFA is in no mood to send any such messages. It's been a week since this issue came up and the FA has not issued a statement on it. I am tempted to believe that the FA is dilly-dallying on this matter, waiting for Ghanaians to blow all the hot air they can. Then, suddenly, the trio will be playing again as if nothing had happened.

And that's one of the reasons why it's so hard for me to see the Black Stars ending their trophy draught next year – there are far too many untouchables in the squad and they are far too often allowed to do whatever they like.

Credit: Ato Kwamena Dadzie/www.atokd.com