GHANA FOOTBALL NEEDS MORE THAN A HASHTAG.

Following the explosive expose´ by ace Investigative Journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, which shook the foundation of the country’s football, the football fraternity has been undergoing series of reforms and transformations.

After almost a year of no serious football business, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) under the auspices of the Normalisation Committee, last week went to congress to cement the reforms with election of a new president of the nation’s football federation. After three rounds of voting, Mr Kurt Edwin Simon Okraku, Executive Chairman of Eastern Region based Premier team Dreams F.C. was elected president.

With his expertise in football branding and administration, the new president of GFA has started a social media campaign with the hashtag #BringBackTheLove.

While the decision to use the social media campaign may be good, if the new administration thinks their quick response to the loss of passion by the Ghanaian populace in Football is to craft a hashtag other than action oriented policies and programs, then they will be bracing themselves up for total failure.

The art works of the hashtag #Bringbackthelove

REPACKAGING LOCAL LEAGUE

Beyond the hashtag frenzy, the administration must do more to truly bring back the lost love of football. To start with, they should work on reinvigorating the passion of the 90’s and 2000’s around the local football league. This they can do by reinventing the wheel to make the local league more attractive and inviting. The exceeding love of Ghanaians for the European football could be linked to the well packaged nature of their game. The new GFA must also put in place measures to present a well packaged local football that can match or at least pretend to match the beauty and esthetics of European football. The usual supporters hooliganism, referee corruption should be safeguarded and committees should give a solid report immediately infractions are recorded at league centres.

SUPPORT FOR AFRICA

Local clubs who qualify to represent at the continental level should be given the needed support it deserves. The GFA must be involved in not only helping the clubs with monetary support but also encouraging supporters groups to rally behind them.
This should not be given to only the two big clubs but all other clubs from the country who will qualify to represent the country at such competitions. The federation should show interest in helping such clubs secure sponsorship deals that will help them marshal the needed financial muscles to compete with their competitors from other part of the continent.

STORIES AROUND THE BLACK STARS

Ghanaians are fed up with the bizarre behaviour and stories that come out from the camp of the Black Stars every now and then. If the love for football in the country wants a feet to walk again, they should start dealing with the fundamental problems associated with the stars. The Black Star cannot continue to be used as a cash cow to milk the state in the name of football and still expect the ordinary Ghanaian who is struggling to make ends meet to cheer them on. Managers, the playing body, supporters among others must all be made to live up to expectation. Again, success has many friends, failure is an orphan. No one loves to associate with failure, the Black Stars and for that matter all national teams must begin to give us results and the love will naturally come back without any hashtag. Reasonable winning bonuses should be discussed with the team and must be paid in Ghana Cedis. The team should understand that they have lost the love of the nation and should therefore be a part of the healing process. They cannot be continued to be pampered while the nation is ‘forced’ to bring back the love for them. It must be a win win situation for both sides, Ghanaians are compromising, the playing body must do same.

The Senior National team the Black Stars lining up for an AFCON match

COLTS FOOTBALL

To win back the love, colt football should be looked at. It is refreshing to know that almost all members of the current executive committee during the campaign period promised to revive colts football. This should not be by lip service. They should organise a competitive and attractive colts football in the Country as soon as possible. This should be without the usual hooliganism associated with colts, division one and division two leagues where the home teams must win at all cost. Proper security measures must be put in place to ensure the best team wins and not the one with the big muscles and deep pockets.

GENDER SENSITIVE

The administration should be Gender Sensitive. Much attention should be given to women Football the same way it is given to men Football. Our women were the first to perform at the world stage and must be treated with respect. We cannot continue to spend so much on male football while we give a blind eye to women football. Respect, equal attention and the needed resources must also be given to women Football just as their male counterparts get.

The Black Queens of Ghana celebrating a goal.

PLAYER MOVEMENT

The GFA should be interested in the exodus of players from Ghana to other parts of the world. They should put measures in place to ensure that raw Football talents are given the needed value before they are exported. If possible, the FA must put a cap on the rate at which players move from the local scene. The teams must be supported to remunerate the players well enough to keep them in the country.

NECESSARY CAMPAIGN

I do not intend to belittle the relevance of the social media campaign. The Campaign is actually very necessary but the administration must ensure conducive football atmosphere in the country. When the National teams do not display brilliance in their performance on various platforms and get the result, when the local league is not appealing and enticing to watch and when the colts football is not revived, the love will not come back.

The Number 12 Exposè wasn’t just about the removal of an unapproachable Governing body but to also pave way for our Football in the Country to be done in the rightful manner characterised by passion and wholesome support from the masses.The Circumstances that led to the collapse of that administration included the neglect of other National teams and the sole attention on the Black Stars.