In April 2005, there was a revolution in Ghana football, which has been described as a " coups d'etat" in football circles and most Ghanaian sports journalists. The architect of this move was Kofi Manu, the man known in football circles as "Blue Blue". This move was what ousted the then chairman of the Ghana Football Association, Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe.
Guess who the beneficiary of this move was? A certain unknown Kwasi Nyantekyi. He became the acting chairman by virtue of the fact that the then FA regulations stated that the then GHALCA chairman should automatically be the vice chairman of the FA. And so he assumed the position as an acting chairman.
Kwasi Nyantekyi with the solid backing of the then Youth and Sports minister, Hon. Osafo Marfo who was then determined to get Ghana qualify for the 2006 world cup in Germany led Ghana to qualify for the world cup for the first time in Ghana's history. Ghana's qualification for the world cup then made Kwasi Nyantekyi a hero obviously because it was under his tenure as the acting chairman of the FA that Ghana qualified for the first time.
On the 30th of December 2005, Kwasi Nyantekyi had a landslide victory over his other contestants, W. A Ibrahim, Vincent Sowah Odotei, Kojo Bonsu and Adey Kokah. Polling 90 plus votes out of 123 voters. This was after FIFA had directed that the leaders of the FA be elected by football people and not be appointed by governments of the various countries which formed FIFA. And so Kwasi Nyantekyi became the first FA president in Ghana.
Beginning from 2006, Kwasi Nyantekyi enjoyed the good will of the nation including the Ghanaian journalists who sang his praises. At that time, almost every sports show host loved him. Sports show hosts like Kofi Asare Brako (Abatay), Yaw Osagyefo Anamang, Ernest Bruce Smith of peace fm , Charles Osei Asibey, Odiasempa Kwame Oware, Joe Debrah, Mark Paradise Okocha, Dibi Boakye Ansah and Swanzy Esuman, all of Happy fm, Davis Odeneho Appiah, Kusi Mensah ( Kapito) and Kojo Mensah (Moshosho), all of adom fm, Sometimer Otu Acheampong, Komlatse Stuttgart, Moses Antwibenefo Kofi Adupako Danso (Senior Shamo) and George Mahama (Allan Green) all of hot fm. All sang the praises of Kwasi Nyantekyi for the obvious reason that he had gotten us to the world cup for the first time. The love for him swelled even more when Ghana went to the 2006 world cup and was the only African team that progressed from the group stages of the competition.
After the world cup, fast down the lane to the mid 2007 and a couple of football stakeholders including journalists began to notice some cracks in his administration. Cracks such as bad refereeing, seemingly compromised league games. These critics included Kofi Manu, Alhaji Grunza and journalists like Dan Kwaku Yeboah, Nana Agyemang, Kwaku Owusu Aduomi, Kofi Appiah, Thomas Moro and Jeffrey Asare who would criticize but was never seen as an anti FA journalist.
There came 2008 where Ghana was the host nation for the African cup of nations. Having been given high hopes by the FA president, Ghanaians were brimming in confident that Ghana was going to do host and win, Ghanaian football fans were left disappointed and fuming when Ghana only settled for bronze instead of the cup we were promised. At this stage, the dwindling of Kwasi's fan base was gathering fast pace. It continued like that until when the Black Stars began to pick a couple of wins in the 2010 world cup and nations cup qualifiers. In spite of this, the critics continued to drum home to the football populace about the falling standards of the Ghanaian league and Kwasi's concentration on the Black Stars to the detriment of the local game.
Then came the new government in 2008 who also had people with different agenda. A group of people with vested interest in Kwasi's position tried to bundle him out but with football being the opium of the people due to the polarized nature of the country in terms of politics, Kwasi had the support of majority of the people, including his staunch critics. As a result of this, even when people with good intentions for the game tried to advice him to see to it that the standards of the local league was lifted up a bit, Kwasi wouldn't have any of that. He would totally pour a scorn on it.
Revelling in his new superstardom status, Kwasi became so boisterous whenever issues of the league were raised and sometimes very hostile towards such people.
Having been elected into the CAF executive committee a year earlier was exacerbated by the near to excellent performance by the Black Stars in the 2010 cup of nations and the world cup in South Africa, Kwasi Nyantekyi became a demigod. When things had gone so bad at the local level and in some instances, suspected underhand dealings and so the government wanted to step in, Kwasi succeeded in using the people's love for football and the opposition to insight the people against government at that time. And the government fearing of losing votes in the subsequent election had to dance to Kwasi's tunes. At that time, he had become the most powerful person in Ghana. The president of the land you mean? Forget about him. Kwasi was the most powerful person at the time.
His reputation continued to swell internationally. He had become so rich obviously because of the corrupt activities. He swindled the club owners and the administrators of the local league by creating agencies to collect percentages from sponsorships even when it was quite clear there were no agents in most of those deals.
The journalists who hitherto sang his praises and supported him had grown tired of his stubbornness and intransigence, all abandoned him and began to hit him so hard with criticisms here and there but will not have none of that.
After superintending over a very abysmal world cup in Brazil, he then decided to break into the media, and he succeeded by getting two of his staunchest critics in the media and an administrator on his side and they became his "goro boys" ( hatchet men) as it is known in the local parlance. These journalists attacked their own colleagues in the media who criticized the FA. It must be noted that, Kwasi in all these shed off all the men he first formed his executive committee with. People like Randy Abbey who handled his PR, Fred Papoe, Fred Crentsil and frustrated a great administrator like Dr. KK Sarpong and George Afriyie whom he dumped a couple of weeks ago.
In all these, he never heed to good counseling from people who loved him but were not happy with the tangent he was on. Wise counseling from Kwabena Yeboah, Kwame Baah Nuako, Jeffrey Asare, Kwame Sefa Kayi, Kwasi Pratt, Kwaku Baako, Carl Tuffour, Ekow Asmah, Rev. Osei Kofi and the verious heads of state under whose tenure he has been were thrown to the dogs because he was drowning in power, superstardom and riches.
Kwasi had a wonderful future ahead of him in both football administration and politics wise but greed, power drunkenness, arrogance and revelling in superstardom got it truncated.
If he had allowed the grace that followed him and humility to lead him, the sky would have been his limit in every aspects of his life. Let us all allow this be a guide to our lives.
The once loveable, affable and vibrant Kwasi has now become an embarrassment, a laughing stock and synonymous to corruption and greed.
# say no greed
#say no to power drunkenness and finally,
#say no to corruption.
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