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27.11.2019 Football News

Coach Ibrahim Tanko Misses Big Opportunity To Take Ghana To Tokyo 2020 And Make History

By Sammy Heywood Okine
Coach Ibrahim Tanko Misses Big Opportunity To Take Ghana To Tokyo 2020 And Make History
27.11.2019 LISTEN

Black Meteors coach Ibrahim Tanko who failed to qualify Ghana to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan has missed the opportunity of being nominated or named Coach of the Year.

Ibrahim Tanko who was also assistant coach to Kwesi Appiah with the Black Stars who failed to move from the group stages at the 2019 African Cup of Nations in Egypt has been castigated as a big failure.

Coach Tanko was highly tipped to be the redeemer to take Ghana to the Olympic Games, a tournament the nation has missed since 2004, but he was not able to manage the Black Meteors team as they failed in Egypt where the Olympic qualifiers took place.

At the Under 23 tournament that involved eight countries, Ghana won only one match against Mali, after drawing with Cameroun and losing to Egypt, Cote d Ivoire and South Africa.

The most painful aspect of the tournament which angered many Ghana football fans was losing twice through penalty shootouts at the semi-final and third-place match.

The coach who once played for Kumasi King Faisal and Borrusia Dortmund in Germany could not manage the players of the Black Meteors into a winsome side, as they did what they like, and blew away the big opportunity of winning Africa Under 23 competition and participating at the Olympic Games.

Three slots were available for Africa, and Ghana had the chance to qualify, but the ill inspired and unprepared players blew away the chances. Hosts Egypt’s young Pharaohs, neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire youthful Elephants and the enterprising young Bafana Bafana of South Africa made it.

Some players like skipper Yaw Yeboah, midfielders Evans Mensah and Eben Lomotey, striker Samuel Obeng and goalkeeper Baah performed quite well above average, however, the majority of the team seemed not ready for the Olympic Games.

Ghanaians who have knowledge of football could not understand why and how the coach kept on fielding players who kept on flopping game after game.

As Tokyo 2020 football is over for Ghana, many sports fans are hoping for more track & field athletes as well as boxers, swimmers and weightlifters to qualify.

Currently, only two athletes have qualified for the Games, Nadia Eke, the triple jumper who is recovering from injury and 200m sprinter Joseph Amoah.

Fred Assor, the blind cyclist has also made it for the Paralympic Games but has to compete in more competition to attract more qualification points.

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