11 OBSERVATIONS FROM GHANA’S DEBACLE OF SUDAN

1.       IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, YOU PLAN TO FAIL. GHANA DID NOT PREPARE ADEQUATELY AND THAT PROVED TO BE OUR DOWNFALL.

2.       A NATIONAL TEAM COACH SHOULD NO LONGER HOLD AN ADDITIONAL CLUB POSITION. HERBERT ADDO WAS DISMAL IN SUDAN AND HIS CLUB SIDE ADUANA STARS ARE ON THE VERGE OF ELIMINATION FROM THE CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PRELIMINARY STAGES.

3.       PROPER SCOUTING SYSTEMS SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN PLACE TO ALLOW FOR PROPER SELECTION. UNFORTUNATELY ADDO RELIED ON PHONE CALLS AND MATCHES FOR ADUANA TO ASSESS PLAYERS FOR SELECTION.

4.       THERE APPEARED TO BE TOO MUCH UNDUE INFLUENCES ON THE TECHNICAL TEAM BY CERTAIN POWERFUL INDIVIDUALS IN GHANA FOOTBALL WHO WANTED TO USE THE CHAMPIONSHIP TO MARKET PLAYERS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE NATION. THUS THE SELECTION WAS FLAWED.

5.       THE SELECTION WAS THUS DONE WITHOUT CERTAIN STAKEHOLDERS WHO HAD RIGOROUSLY MONITORED THE PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES AND ANALYSED PLAYER PERFORMANCES.

6.       ADDO HAD GOOD PLAYERS BUT CHOSE TO PUT SQUARE PEGS IN ROUND HOLES. HE ALSO FAILED TO MOULD THE TEAM INTO A COHESIVE UNIT AND USED THE WRONG FORMATION AS WELL.

7.       THE PERFORMANCE IN SUDAN IS SYMPTOMATIC OF THE CURRENT FALLING STANDARDS OF OUR LOCAL GAME AND HIGHLIGHTS THE PROBLEMS OF A SERIOUS LACK OF EMPOWERMENT FOR OUR COACHES AS PER PROPER TRAINING COURSES.

8.       THE DEBACLE ALSO SHOWED THAT THERE WAS NO CONSISTENT LONG TERM PLANNING IN PLACE TO REGULARLY CAMP THE PLAYERS IN BETWEEN LEAGUE MATCHES.

9.       GHANA’S FOOTBALL FOUNDATION IS ALL BUT DESTROYED. COLTS FOOTBALL WHICH USED TO BE THE BEDROCK OF GHANA FOOTBALL HAS BEEN NEGLECTED BY THE GHANA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION FOR SO LONG THAT THERE IS NO LONGER A CONVEYOR BELT OF REAL TALENT FOR GHANA’S TOP FLIGHT.

10.   PROOF OR NO PROOF, MATCHES ARE BOUGHT AND SOLD IN GHANA FOOTBALL, AS FAR AS THE VAIOUS LEAGUES ARE CONCERNED. REFEREES ARE REGULARLY BRIBED TO ‘HELP’ CLUBS WIN MATCHES AND PERHAPS THAT IS WHY, WITHOUT THE REFEREES’ HELP IN SUDAN, GHANA STUMBLED!

11.   THE GFA HAS FAILED IN PROMOTING THE LOCAL GAME AND SHOULD BE HELD LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR GHANA’S WOES IN SUDAN. THERE IS TOO MUCH FOCUS ON THE FULL BLACK STARS AND HEAVEN FORBID, BUT IF THE FULL BLACK STARS SHOULD SUFFER A PLANE CRASH THAT WILL LEAVE NO SURVIVORS, THEN GHANA FOOTBALL WOULD BE EFFECTIVELY DEAD!