Today, the Professional League Board (PLB) will be honouring footballers and other officials who in its opinion excelled in the just ended Ghanaian premier league. As anticipated, Aduana Stars with its fairy-tale story of winning the premiership on its first ever entry into elite Ghana football is expected to dominate the ceremony.
The story of Aduana seems to have clouded any sound judgment on the award to the extent that it has become more of an event driven by passion and sentiment. Of course, any team that is able to break the domineering hold of Ghana soccer by Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko ought to be given the thumbs up.
The two share an enviable record of 41 league titles with Obuasi Ashanti Gold taking three of the championships.
And with the unlikely source of that shocker coming from a toddler team from Dormaa Ahenkro, the noise being made by the PLB about organizing one of the best ever leagues in Ghana football, may appear to the uninitiated, as true picture about the state of Ghana football. But we beg to differ.
What is there to celebrate as far as this year’s league is concerned? Is it the match fixing or the persistent influencing of referees and intimidations at certain centres, especially those from the hinterlands.
Real Tamale United established that awful disposition during their playing days at the Sakasaka park, and later the Kaladan park. They were indeed the two centres that any football team dread playing on and so RTU had a field day intimidating and cowing every opposing team into submission.
Today, the true pedigree of RTU is emerging as the club switched its playing grounds to the ultra modern Tamale Sports stadium where it has become impossible for any RTU supporter to attack a visiting team. The team had struggled in the last two football seasons to beat the drop.
In the frenzy about Aduana’s giant killing feat, we seem to be glossing over the bouts of complaints that visiting teams made after visiting virtually the lion’s den-Dormaa Ahenkro. It was not only the den of hooliganism, but also biased officiating and naked robbery of away teams.
Unless perhaps Aboraa Appiah and his men think, Hearts of Oak, Kotoko, Liberty, King Faisal, Kessben and all others who had an ordeal to narrate met and conspired to fabricate those stories; then we believe there is more to the Aduana feat than what meets the eye. And no one should be blinded by the euphoria of the Aduana’s “historic achievement”.
The Dormaa team came into the premiership, saw and exploited the filth, decadence and the mediocre standard of Ghana football and became the winner. Credit should go to their officials for perhaps playing smart in that regard.
People at the helm of Ghana football indeed are aware of the many matches of convenience that were played at the close stage of the competition.
To the extent that it became almost a mantra for supporters of clubs to openly sing by opting for proxy support for teams that they share regions with. Such coinages like “Asanteman Nkosuo; Bonoman Nkosuo; Friends of Aduana” dominated the airwaves especially during the penultimate and the final matches of the Ghanaian premier league.
The deductions one made from the above scenario was that Kotoko would prefer Ashanti Gold which then was in pole position to win the league, instead of Accra Hearts of Oak, which win, would have equaled Kotoko 21 league cup record.
The fears of many Ghanaians were confirmed on the match day when many radio commentators cried out against the obvious non competitive nature of the Kotoko-Ashanti Gold match.
Accra Hearts of Oak who obviously were not enthused about the approach of Kotoko in the match against Ashanti Gold also made sure that the Kumasi club never got a chance to play in the Top 4 competition by glaringly engaging Heart of Lions in that disgraceful 6-5 score-line drama in Accra.
Aside from the conspiracy of paying Kotoko back in their own coin, the other idea was to ensure that Samuel Affum won this year’s goal king. But for the spot-kick strike by Bismark Idan in Kessben’s 2-1 win over King Faisal at Abramkese, Affum would have become the top most scorer this year. He now enjoys the award with Bismark Idan. The two have 13 goals each to their credit.
At the nearby Dansoman Carl Reindorf Park, Liberty Professionals and Aduana were also locked up in fierce negotiations which yielded dividends in the second half resulting in a shocking 1-0 win for Aduana Stars during their penultimate second round match.
This happened at the full glare of some of the top brass of Ghana football as well as some radio commentators and other sports analysts.
Indeed it was not only Hearts, Kotoko, Ashanti Gold, Hearts of Lions, Aduana and Liberty that engaged in such disgraceful acts. All the other teams we dare say engaged in similar fraudulent deals.
In some of the cases, it was so glare for the PLB to ignore. For instance, there was report of attempt by Aduana officials to bribe Heart of Lions in their match at Kpando. That accusation indeed came from the captain of Heart of Lions Edmund Owusu Ansah.
The paper wonders what the GFA did in that regard. Did we hear Ashanti Gold crying foul in their match against Berekum Chelsea? Perhaps Cudjoe Fianoo and his people should bow down their heads in shame for the obvious fixed match they played against Kotoko.
These matches of convenience and fraud indeed did not only rob the league of a worthy champion, but also offered a decoration of the decadence that has engulfed Ghana football over the years. And this is what the PLB intends glorifying today.
Yet Aboraa Appiah and his men believe they have supervised a league that is worth honouring some of the actors. It is indeed a joke and glorification of mediocrity. Pure and simple!
Now the awards! Berekum Chelsea’s Lee Addy, Accra Hearts of Oak’s Mahatma Otoo and Bismark Idan have been penciled for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award. And surely one of them would be crowned by the end of the day.
This envious award was once upon a time bestowed on such football greats like Mohammed Polo, Abdul Razak, Francis Kumi, John Nketia Yawson, John Essien, Windsor Kofi Abbrey, Opoku Nti, Shamo Quaye and lately, Eric Bekoe.
Such feats came with stiff competition from equally talented players like Joe Sam, Mama Acquah, Kofi Badu, Papa Arko, Albert Asase, Joe Debrah, Dominic Adiyiah and others and Ghanaians savoured the announcement of the eventual winners with no or little questions.
The players shortlisted are indeed still budding and yet to reach the level exhibited by the aforementioned players. At best Mahatma and Idan could be gunning for Most Promising Players, while through his exploit in Angola and of course for Berekum Chelsea, Lee Addy could be considered for the Defender of the Year.
We thought the PLB would be guided by the immediate past experience where Kweku Essien and Ato Bissah won the awards, but later events proved that they were still in their rudiment.
Ato Bissah led Hasaacas to relegation, a year after he won the award, while Kweku Essien is now struggling at one of the first division teams. There were occasions when the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), the premier awardees of Ghana sports failed to honour certain categories like the Footballer of the Year because in its opinion no one merited the award.
The paper believes the PLB should also be bold to ignore the award when such sloppy league matches like this year’s are played.
In 1983, the SWAG refused to honour Ben Koyode of Accra Great Olympics fame because in its opinion, the former Olympics striker although emerged as the top scorer in that year’s league did not merit the award.
This was because Kayode scored five goals in the last league match against Kumasi Asante Kotoko in an embarrassing 12 goals sub-standard match at the Kumasi Sports Stadium. The match ended 7-5 in favour of Kotoko.
And we thought by the obvious match of convenience played by Hearts and Heart of Lions, Affum’s three goals would have been scrapped. But here is Affum gunning for the top scorer award.
For the Coach of the Year, it should go to the Serbian coach of King Faisal who guided Alhaji Grunsah’s boys from a near drop to mid-spot in the league.
Nothing should go to Herbert Addo and David Duncan whose feat, in the opinion of the paper clearly had some external influences. Both have won the prestigious award before and we believe they know through their inner conviction that the circumstances surrounding their earlier feats are entirely different from what pertains today.
The PLB can still go ahead with the awards, but we on this paper believe it is a glorification of mediocrity, fraud and naked robbery of Ghana football. Perhaps next time Aboraa Appiah and his team would be guided by some of the tough decisions that the SWAG took on some of the awards in the past.