The FA is on course

For sometime now I have not had the luxury of time to address some of the pertinent issues that have occupied the attention of the FA. It was basically due to the competing demands for the limited time at my disposal.

Nonetheless, I feel in duty bound to highlight some of our recent programmes as well as the implications they hold for the sustainable development of our game in Ghana.

For the past two weeks the Black Meteors and the Black Stars were engaged in various international assignments.

The preliminary draw for the 2010 world cup in South Africa and the preparations for the 2007/8 one touch premier league took place. The objective for the Black meteors is not in doubt. We have been working hard to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in China.

The Black Meteors

Ghana has an admirable pedigree in the Olympics. We were the first African country to win a soccer medal at the Olympics. We accomplished this feat at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain. We set the pace before Nigeria and Cameroun improved our record. It was therefore the expectation that we will book our rightful place at the next Olympic Games in China.

In our last match with Nigeria in Accra on 16th November 2007 we managed a draw when we needed to win the match and book our place ahead of the last group match between Nigeria and South Africa.

Ghana tops the group with 7 points with Nigeria trailing with 5 points. A win for Nigeria in their last match with South Africa will guarantee them a qualification with 8 points. If Nigeria draws with South Africa Ghana will qualify.

We lost the opportunity to decide our destiny when we hosted Nigeria in Accra. If providence looks favourably at Ghana we could still qualify with a mathematical chance.

The current crop of players who constitute the Black Meteors team hold a lot of potential for the country.

Four of them were part of the Black Stars team that played in the four nation tournament. We need to pay a lot of attention to the players who are natural heir apparent to the current Black Stars players.

I have followed the exploits of the Black Meteors since its constitution. The players have shown a lot of commitment and determination to succeed as individuals and as a team. It was just unfortunate that we failed to take our chances against Nigeria when it mattered most.

It must also be appreciated that the game of football has various faces; one of them is that it can be unpredictable. The players, technical handlers and management of the Black meteors have done well and deserve to be encouraged.

The FA will review the reports of the coaches and Management to guide its discourse for the future.

The 4 Nation Tournament

The FA decided to organize a four nation tournament as a precursor to the 26th MTN African Cup of Nations. The tournament was organized as a home coming for the Black Stars players who last played in Accra in 2004.

There was the need to expose our players to a tournament experience and the pressures that they will go through as the host team in the Nations Cup.

We also wanted to present Coach Claude Le Roy the opportunity to assess both old and new players and generally determine the level of readiness of the team for the Nations Cup. The LOC was also to be presented with the opportunity to test and dress rehearse the facilities for the Nations Cup.

On a fair assessment of the tournament vis-à-vis its objectives, I think the four nation tournament was a resounding success.

The response of our players to the tournament was fulfilling. Each and every individual player acting alone and together with his colleagues as a team demonstrated that they were physically technically and psychologically geared up for the Nations Cup.

The Coach expressed satisfaction with his players and generally obtained at first hand a fair assessment of every player’s chance of making it to the final 23 for the competition. The players experienced the high expectation the Ghanaian public has for this competition.

The LOC learnt very useful lessons that will enrich the preparations for the competition. The FA interacted with the players and understood clearly what the players expect from us and the vice versa.

We are now working hard at improving the shortcomings and problems that we identified both with the team and organization of the tournament as a whole. Come January 2008, we should be able to stage a memorable tournament as well demonstrate practically our desire to host and win the cup.

The Preliminary Draw for the 2010 World Cup

Contrary to rumours that FIFA may take away the rights to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup from South Africa, the FIFA President Mr. Sepp Blatter once again stated in unequivocal terms that the 2010 World Cup will be hosted by South Africa.

That world cup is for AFRICA who has never had the privilege of hosting a world cup. It therefore behoves the Organising Committee to ensure that the benefits of such a historic project are enjoyed by the whole Africa.

In Durban, South Africa on 25th November 2007 a memorable event took place. It was the preliminary draw for the 2010 World Cup. A record 200 out of the 208 Member Countries of FIFA applied to participate in the competition. Africa and Europe entered the most countries with 53 each.

The first stage of the competition for Africa was played where five countries were eliminated. The second phase was the draw of the 48 remaining African countries that were drawn into 12 groups of 4 each.

Ghana was drawn alongside Libya, Gabon and Lesotho. The winners of the 12 groups together with the 8 second best teams constituting 20 will be drawn into the final 5 qualifying groups of 4 each.

The winners of the groups will then qualify for the world cup. South Africa is the only Country that has qualified for the 2010 world cup on account of its status as the host nation. Nonetheless, it will participate in the qualifiers because the same matches will serve as qualifiers for the 2010 African Cup of Nations.

Ghana participated in the last world cup and we all witnessed the monumental benefits that the event brought to our Country. We must work hard to make it to the next world cup. As a first step we must qualify from the group of Ghana, Libya, Gabon and Lesotho. The second step will be to top the next group of 4 to seal our qualification.

The qualifying matches for the 2010 world cup will start next year after the African Nations Cup. It is therefore prudent now to concentrate on the Nations Cup and ensure that we win the cup.

We can then consolidate the gains of the Nations Cup by putting the necessary strategic measures in place to secure a qualification to the 2010 World Cup. It is important one assignment is tackled at a time to maximize time, energy and resources in a well focused approach to achieving our objectives.

The World Cup draw in Durban is now history but its implications will forever resonate the walls of world football.

South Africa proved to the world that Africa was capable of organizing perhaps the best world cup ever. Apart from the infrastructure which is under construction, a lot of work has gone into the preparations.

The level of professionalism exhibited through organization of the Durban draw gives a lot of hope that Africa is not the dark continent of old, but a continent with a huge potential and promise.

The world cup in Africa must leave in its trail a lasting legacy for Africa. The Organising Committee must come up with various ways each and every African Country can leverage the event.

In addition, FIFA and the Organising Committee should carefully think out a programme that will support African Countries to build strong teams that could lay a strong claim to winning the cup in South Africa.

The biggest tribute that Africa can pay Messrs Blatter and Hayatou for working hard to bring the World Cup to Africa is to win the cup.

The One touch Premier League

At long last the one touch premier league will start at all league centers on 1st December 2007.

The start of the league was stalled by an unnecessary bout of litigation. All the issues have now been resolved and the FA, Sponsors and the clubs are well poised to start the season in grand style.

When the whistles for the matches are blown and the combatants stand up to one another, we expect fair play, friendly rivalry and a good competition.

On behalf of the FA and on my own behalf, I wish all the 16 premier division clubs good luck. I wish to advise our teaming fans to support the development of the game by supporting their respective clubs in a sportsman like manner. Violence and hooliganism have in the past destroyed the fabric of our game.

Let us adopt a positive and purposive approach to supporting our teams and shun all negative anti productive tendencies that could derail the progress of the game.

We are gradually building a strong brand for the game in Ghana. That is the path we have chosen for Ghana football. I believe the FA is on course in the pursuit of its mandate.

Cheers!!

Kwesi Nyantakyi