Appiah Has Our Support for AFCON 2019 - NC

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) Normalization Committee (NC) says it is fully behind Black Stars coach, Kwasi Appiah as he prepares to lead the nation to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt in June.

Contrary to media reports, Coach Kwesi Appiah enjoys the total support of the Normalization Committee as he gets ready to begin preparations for the next AFCON in Egypt, a statement signed by the Spokesperson of the Committee, Dan Kweku Yeboah, said over the weekend.

According to the statement, the coach will be given every support possible, to enable him work effectively as Ghana seek to win the AFCON for the first time in over three decades.

The statement was in response to recent media report indicating there were dark clouds over Appiah's future as the Committee was unlikely to give him an extension.

But the statement pointed out that the GFA has no interest in putting pressure on Coach Appiah, but will rather provide the necessary mechanism to facilitate his role in achieving the nation's quest.

"Performance clauses worldwide are acceptable in contracts, hence the introduction of same in Coach Kwasi Appiah's," the statement noted.

"While this is an international practice, the Normalization Committee believe in Coach Appiah's ability to lead Ghana's campaign to win AFCON 2019, a goal of President Akufo Addo."

The statement called on Ghanaians to throw every support spiritually and physically behind Coach Appiah and the team, to achieve the common goal of winning the trophy in Egypt.

Meanwhile, the NC has reacted to inaccurate reports about the authenticity of the list of Ghanaian referees which submitted to FIFA recently.

The inaccurate and misleading reports alleged that the said fitness test was conducted by the Referees Association of Ghana (RAG) and that certain referees that failed had their names included in the list which was submitted to FIFA.

But according to a statement from the Committee, the fitness test was conducted under the supervision of an accredited FIFA and CAF Instructor, Dr Anthony Tetteh Opai in Kumasi on October 12, 2018.

It said in the absence of a substantive Referees Committee, following the dissolution of all standing committees, the GFA Technical Director, Mr. Francis Oti Akenteng observed the fitness test and only names of referees that were passed by the FIFA Instructor, Dr Opai were submitted to FIFA by the GFA.

On the issue of alleged falsification of ages by some referees, the GFA's it assured that the IT Department already has data on all referees and these data were cross-checked before the list was sent to FIFA and described the reports as false.

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