Minority concerned about deterioration of sports

Accra, June 8, GNA - Mr Abuga Pele, Minority Spokesman on Education, Youth and Sports on Tuesday expressed concern about the continuous deterioration of sports in the country.

He has therefore called for a radical solution to the problem in order to put the nation back on track.

Speaking to the GNA Sports, Mr Pele who is also the Member of Parliament for the Chiana/Paga constituency in the Upper East Region said, " Recent developments surrounding the organisation of football and athletics are a source of great concern that leaves much to be desired".

He said that with the ascension of the current football administration to the Management Board of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), one would have thought that a new dynamism would be brought to bear on football administration in the country.

"Unfortunately the new set of administrators have made a false start and their attitude towards the first World Cup qualifying match against Burkina Faso last Saturday, can best be described as woeful and unserious" Mr Pele noted.

He said "the administrators should have no excuse if the Nation fails to qualify for the next World Cup in Germany 2006".

Mr Pele indicated that it was not surprising when the national coach, Mariano Barreto complained bitterly about the lack of planning, seriousness and general apathy towards the preparation for the encounter.

He said the nation should have been grateful to God that the margin of defeat was very narrow, and praised the coach and the playing body for the level of performance they put up in the game.

Mr Pele said the narrow margin recorded has made Ghana's task even become greater and urged the players to from now on to attach and attend the rest of the tasks ahead of them with much more seriousness and nationalism.

On athletics, Mr Pele said just as the Olympic Games in Athens is looming, the nation was also beset with similar problems and confusion because some athletes like Leo Myles Mills have issued a statement threatening a boycott the competition on the grounds that "the Olympic Committee does not know what it is about."

He said this is a very serious indictment on the organisers. With just some few weeks to go, the nation can do without such a chaotic situation.

The Minority spokesman also praised the Ghanaian Clubs that failed to qualify for the next stage of the CAF competitions, saying Kotoko, Hearts, and King Faisal have done tremendously well and should take their defeat in good faith and prepare to perform well the next time round.