ExCo members must go! New Eduabiase boss fires
As the football community descends upon the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi on Monday for its 29th Ordinary Congress, Abdul Salam Yakubu, the financier of Division One League (DOL) team New Edubiase United, has called for an outright rejection of the current Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Committee (ExCo).
The Kurt Okraku administration, according to him, failed miserably, as seen by the recent decline of the various national teams in international tournaments and the subpar quality of the local leagues.
Additionally, he urged Congress delegates to oppose the proposed GH 50,000 filing fee being asked from candidates interested in the GFA presidential elections, arguing that it was excessive given that the position only offered allowances in lieu of pay.
In an interview with Rapid Sports about what he expects from today’s Congress, the New Edubiase manager claimed that only a complete change of the people in charge would be able to give Ghana football a new direction and restore the nation’s pride of place on the world stage.
“I think we need a change because, in my perspective, our industry is declining and our football is not improving. We need a change at the Executive Committee since our football has stagnated for the past four years.
“Our football is deteriorating, particularly the national teams, the Premier League, and the Division One League’s standards. Perhaps if we can get some capable people in charge of it, we can reclaim our former glory,” he remarked.
Former football player and sprinter in his prime commented that the Kurt Okraku administration’s final four years had not brought anything beneficial to change the fortunes of the game; therefore, allowing them to continue could signal doom for it.
The outspoken Yakubu claimed that since the league lacked sponsorship, the only way for clubs to generate income was by selling their players’ abilities abroad. He added that this ability to do so was heavily dependent on how well the national teams performed.
The New Edubiase boss noted that whenever national teams perform poorly on the international stage, it rubs off negatively on the football business, making it difficult for foreign clubs to express interest in local players.
“We need a change in both the presidency and some of the executives because, in the last four years, they have not added anything positive to the game. Everything is declining.
“My worry is that I’m doing football and we don’t even have good sponsorship. If I’m not making money, these are some of the players I have to sell and make money to take care of my club, but if the national teams are not performing, nobody will buy a player from Edubiase or any team,” he bemoaned.
He alleged that it was difficult for all local clubs to sell players of late and even when such requests came through, foreign clubs often asked that the player went for talent development or on loan, a situation which he described as worrying and affecting not only players but club owners as well.
He also labeled some of the FA’s top officials as greedy for sacrificing the fortunes of the country in exchange for their desire to choose the best players for the national teams.
“I have noticed that our current leaders are highly avaricious. Even for the national teams, they select athletes who fascinate them rather than those who are the best fit. He claimed that they only select those in whom they are interested.
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