Often, I am tempted to believe that the physical aspect of colonialism was fought vehemently by the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah but we, as a people, still have the psychological and abstract aspect to fight.
Time without number, our local coaches have been shown disrespect across all clubs, from Divisin One League through to the Premier League trickling down to our junior national teams.
The canker is now getting out of hand. It has gotten to the senior national team – The Black Stars.
Don’t be shocked - the technical staff of the Black Stars have not been paid a dime since assuming office. Kwasi Appiah and his men have not been given anything in terms of remuneration. Kwasi has not been given his enticement fee, no contract has been signed with Ibrahim Tanko and Maxwell Konadu, and Stephen Appiah and Richard Kingson have not been recognized by the Sports Ministry. To top it all, none of the technical staff has even been given an appointment letter.
Did this happen to Milovan Rajevac, Ratomir Dujkovic, Mariano Jeronimo Barreto, Goran Stevenovic or even the incompetent and inefficient Funeral Director Avram Grant?
Why our local coaches?
We called for them and we must treat them with respect. We must honour our own and make them feel important. We are the same people who admire Joachim Leow of Germany but we fail to do what the Germans are doing. Leow, right from the very day he was handed the job as the coach of Germany has been respected by all in the country and the result are on the walls.
Why do we continue to denigrate and kill the self-esteem of our own? Must our coaches beg for what is due them? This does not happen anywhere in the world but for Ghana. SAD!
Take a look at how our clubs disregard our local coaches but jump to the tune and pay the foreign coaches promptly when they are employed.
Aduana Stars won their first ever Premier League title under the late Herbert Addo before employing the services of Cioaba Aristica. But we never heard of the club owing Cioaba, yet they owed Herbert until his death.
Zdravko Lugarusic left Kotoko without any outstanding salaries or allowances to be paid him yet David Duncan who left the club two years ago was stilled owed by the club. Am told he was just paid last week. Michael Osei is still dragging the club for what he has worked for.
Hearts of Oak owed Herbert Addo before he died and are still owing Yaw Preko but Sergio Traguil who was clueless and the worse ever foreign coach Hearts ever employed enjoyed all his conditions including receiving his salary on the 24th day of every month. The most annoying aspect was the useless video analyst he brought to siphon the club. The two were taking a combined figure of $5000 a month while Yaw Preko was taking just $500, yet Yaw was never paid promptly because he is a local coach.
Just now, Henry Willington, assistant to Frank Nutall of Hearts, has not been paid for five months yet, Nuttal receives his salary promptly and swiftly.
The list goes on and on. Why must we be treating our local coaches like this?
The Ministry of Youth and Sports must be proactive. The office must be a functional office and not a talking office. Someone must please prompt Hon. Isaac Asiamah that he is a Minister now and not in campaign boots. The consistent attacks and direct vilification on Nii Lante must cease immediately as he is no more in office. Hon. Asiamah must work and stop talking.
Looking at the fully-packed Baba Yara Stadium during the Black Stars 2019 AFCON opener with Ethiopia, the state must quickly understand that Ghanaians are re-igniting their love for the team because of Kwasi Appiah and his team. This calls for respect for them and not disrespect.
Let us not wait for what happened in Brazil to happen again and start looking for scapegoats. We must learn from that incident in 2014 and not allow it to happen again.
Kwasi Appiah and his team deserve better. They deserve respect and must be paid immediately.
Such obnoxious attitude from the Sports Ministry must change now.
Respecting our own is the way to go.
By: Sheikh Tophic Sienu @desheikh1 on twitter
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