The Premier League Board (PLB) has again contrived to make nonsense its avowed aim of aligning the local football calendar with that of the European league.
The PLB has on numerous occasions unduly postponed matches supposedly to make way for national team assignments and the latest case is yet another interesting example.
The 22nd week Glo Premier League matches which were supposed to be played between May 30th and May 31st were rescheduled to June 6th and June 7th to make way for the Black Stars versus Cranes of Uganda friendly at the Tamale Stadium.
Despite the fact that only four locally based players namely Kotoko duo of Harrison Afful and Samuel Inkoom, Daniel Yeboah of Hearts of Lions and Philemon McCarthy of Accra Hearts of Oak made it to the senior national team.
There is clearly a regulation that states that clubs can call for a postponement of their matches if they contribute more than four players to the national team at a time.
And to make the situation worse, the PLB has again rescheduled the week 22 matches to make way for the Ghana-Mali 2010 World Cup qualifier at Bamako.
According to a report in The Ghanaian Times of Monday June 1, 2009, the move was influenced by the reaction from “some fans” who want the nation to be fully concentrated on the world Cup clash instead of having to watch a Hearts- Kotoko clash on the same Sunday.
So, why is the PLB not considering playing the league a day prior to the Stars’ clash?
The league’s organising body recently passed through some amendment during congress to have its name changed from Professional League Board to Premier League Board but nothing much has changed: it’s business as usual.
Decisions like this tend to bring down interest in the local game because people get tired of the haphazard manner in which the game is being managed with no concrete plan to follow.
More so at a time when everybody is concerned with the dwindling fortunes of the local game, such a decision would only go to reinforce the belief of the stereotypes that the FA is not really serious with the local league.
The constant changes also have implications for the fitness of the players. In fact Ace Coach Emmanuel Kwasi Afranie has complained that he finds it difficult keeping his players together every time the PLB calls for a break in the league bringing to the fore the wider implications on the country’s football future.
According to fitness experts a lot happens within a two week period of lack of activity.
The clubs try to make up for it by playing friendly matches to stay in shape.
The Glo premier league has already seen two separate two week breaks first to make way for the African Nations Championship in Cote d’Ivoire in February. There was also a break at the end of the first round. The question is; is there really a basis for another two-week break?
Wait a minute!
The Division One League Board also called for a month’s break following the end of the first round to allow the disciplinary committee to resolve all cases before it. Sadly after a month, not even one case has been seen to and the second round is due to begin this weekend.
Elsewhere, football leagues are run with well managed fixtures released ahead of time.
There is the odd case of disruptions due to weather conditions or security concerns but provisions are made to accommodate these challenges.
The football league in England was allowed to go on despite the participation of Manchester United in the recent Fifa Club World Cup in Japan without a fuss.
Is the PLB learning anything at all from these?!
My life and my career.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Can the Black Stars make it to South Africa 2010?
Various interpretations have been given to the Black Stars’ performance in their 1:0 win over Benin in the World Cup qualifier at the Baba Yara Stadium on March, 29 2009.
The Stars were put on the back foot for long periods in the match but were fortunate to run away with the victory courtesy the first minute strike by Prince Tagoe.
In the aftermath of the match, some have openly questioned the commitment of the players to the national cause and head coach Milovan Rajevac has not been spared either.
The Stars showed promise when they were training for the game but their performance during the match kept most people guessing what might have happened.
A Former Chairman of the Ghana Football Association Ben Koufie was alarmed about reports which suggested that the Minister of Youth and Sports had clashed with Sulley Muntari over the thorny issue of winning bonuses five clear days to the match.
Another ex-Stars striker Augustine Arhinful is however quick to point out that despite the fact that the Minister did not help matters with his heavy handedness, the players were not likely to be affected by the row since they earn more than what was being offered at their clubs.
It’s true that the players stand to benefit more than the nation in the overall analysis if they qualify for the second successive occasion.
Their market values could skyrocket just as it did in the immediate aftermath of the 2006 World Cup in Germany and that is enough personal motivation.
There is no denying the fact that money was one of the factors which influenced the Stars’ qualification to the last world cup and it clearly showed in the way the Stars went in for challenges for the ball, during the competition.
There were early signs which suggested the players were going to demand an increase in winning bonuses, which stood at $8,000 but I think the issue could have been dealt with much better between the two sides, albeit diplomatically.
But that is not all. Milovan Rajevac is also at fault for the poor display. To start with, the decision to play right full back Samuel Inkoom on the left full back position despite the availability of fit Harrison Afful and Belgium based Nana Kwasi Asare was unpardonable.
The Serbian rationalised his selection saying he needed a quick player to deal with the threat from Benin. He added that Inkoom played according to his instructions when clearly the Kotoko defender struggled with the pace of the Benin attackers and found it problematic kicking the ball with his left foot.
The Serbian also gave a half fit Stephen Appiah and a non committal Sulley Muntari too much time on the pitch while emerging players like Kojo Asamoah was given too little time to perform.
The Serbian trainer would need to make some bold decisions and introduce competition in the team in order to bring out the best in the players because he would have no excuse if he fails and Ghana fails to make it to South Africa 2010.
Asamoah could be his bait for such a revival. The 20-year-old has proven with his 16 appearances for Udinese that he could fit into various roles in the midfield, both defensive and offensive.
On the way forward, it’s still baffling that the GFA did not send any scout to watch our next opponents Mali draw 1:1 with Sudan in Omdurman.
Rajevac and his assistants are now on a scouting mission in Europe to spy on the individual players at their club sides - amazing.
The ball is in your court GFA and Milovan Rajevac.
The Stars were put on the back foot for long periods in the match but were fortunate to run away with the victory courtesy the first minute strike by Prince Tagoe.
In the aftermath of the match, some have openly questioned the commitment of the players to the national cause and head coach Milovan Rajevac has not been spared either.
The Stars showed promise when they were training for the game but their performance during the match kept most people guessing what might have happened.
A Former Chairman of the Ghana Football Association Ben Koufie was alarmed about reports which suggested that the Minister of Youth and Sports had clashed with Sulley Muntari over the thorny issue of winning bonuses five clear days to the match.
Another ex-Stars striker Augustine Arhinful is however quick to point out that despite the fact that the Minister did not help matters with his heavy handedness, the players were not likely to be affected by the row since they earn more than what was being offered at their clubs.
It’s true that the players stand to benefit more than the nation in the overall analysis if they qualify for the second successive occasion.
Their market values could skyrocket just as it did in the immediate aftermath of the 2006 World Cup in Germany and that is enough personal motivation.
There is no denying the fact that money was one of the factors which influenced the Stars’ qualification to the last world cup and it clearly showed in the way the Stars went in for challenges for the ball, during the competition.
There were early signs which suggested the players were going to demand an increase in winning bonuses, which stood at $8,000 but I think the issue could have been dealt with much better between the two sides, albeit diplomatically.
But that is not all. Milovan Rajevac is also at fault for the poor display. To start with, the decision to play right full back Samuel Inkoom on the left full back position despite the availability of fit Harrison Afful and Belgium based Nana Kwasi Asare was unpardonable.
The Serbian rationalised his selection saying he needed a quick player to deal with the threat from Benin. He added that Inkoom played according to his instructions when clearly the Kotoko defender struggled with the pace of the Benin attackers and found it problematic kicking the ball with his left foot.
The Serbian also gave a half fit Stephen Appiah and a non committal Sulley Muntari too much time on the pitch while emerging players like Kojo Asamoah was given too little time to perform.
The Serbian trainer would need to make some bold decisions and introduce competition in the team in order to bring out the best in the players because he would have no excuse if he fails and Ghana fails to make it to South Africa 2010.
Asamoah could be his bait for such a revival. The 20-year-old has proven with his 16 appearances for Udinese that he could fit into various roles in the midfield, both defensive and offensive.
On the way forward, it’s still baffling that the GFA did not send any scout to watch our next opponents Mali draw 1:1 with Sudan in Omdurman.
Rajevac and his assistants are now on a scouting mission in Europe to spy on the individual players at their club sides - amazing.
The ball is in your court GFA and Milovan Rajevac.
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