Five years ago in 2011, the GFA president, Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, was elected to the Executive Committee of CAF as a member.
That was just six years after he became the President of the Ghana Football Association. And also that was when I predicted in my first ever article to Graphic Sports that he would rise and rise till he eventually becomes the President of CAF one day.
Now, in 2016, he has been elected to the Executive Council of FIFA, which is the highest body controlling world football. As a member of this august council, he would be part of international football gurus who would take decisions that govern, administer and grow world football.
Mr Nyantakyi has taken the FIFA Executive Council seat as a Ghanaian football administrative head and as a CAF Executive Committee member. Indeed, he represents Anglophone or English speaking African countries. This is unique and important. English speaking African countries have been left in the back-waters of African and world football administration for long.
He will, therefore, for some time to come and as long as he keeps his seat be a free advert and image of Ghana and Ghana football. We cannot but congratulate him.
Football is big world business, with combined global resources bigger than that of the IMF and any United Nations organ or agency. The football game is said to have more than four billion followers and supporters. It has created millions and millions of jobs both directly and indirectly.
As football referees, we benefit directly from the game financially and as a way of hobby and entertainment. And so do players, coaches, administrators and many manufacturing and other allied businesses. Football is big business and anybody involved in its administration is a big man.
Indeed, already, the few years that Mr Nyantakyi has been on the Executive Committee of CAF, he has opened many doors for and assisted many referees, technical personnel who are involved in football as a means of employment ‘et cetera’.
The achievement of Mr Nyantakyi has a lot for us as Ghanaians to ponder over and learn from. It has put ‘paid’ and ‘endorsed’ to many questions and arguments. But perhaps, the most important lesson should be that we should all learn to desist from the negative ‘PHD’ attitude; where PHD means ‘pull him down’. Indeed, if I were him, I would have disembarked from the plane with tears in my eyes. Tears, because of what he had gone through.
But the man that he is, his vision and fortitude took the better side of him and he came down with his usual smiles. Indeed, as we gave him a welcoming embrace at the GFA head office, I could not restrain my tears, perhaps on his behalf.
Having been involved in sports at an early age and at my present God-approved age, I have seen and learnt a lot from sports administration, especially football. I know how, the late Ohene Djan was plucked down like an unripe mango after the overthrown of the late Dr Nkrumah’s CPP government. He was removed from CAF and replaced. Even in later years, his name that was given to the Accra Sports Stadium was replaced.
The Kwame Nkrumah Circle suffered the same fate when it was renamed ‘Independence Circle’ by the coup-makers. Thank God, today it has been reverted to Nkrumah’s name. One day, I hope the same will happen to the Accra Sports Stadium, God willing. The same fate visited the late Nana Fredua Mensah, who was also doing well at the CAF level. But as if ordained by his maker, and to the benefit of the country, Ghana, no weapon formed by man against Nyantakyi has so far prospered. This should be a big, big lesson for us all to learn.
But the lesson to the Ghana football authorities and their leaders should be that of pursuing the general good. The past experience of always replacing competent and hardworking people because of change in political administration should be revisited.
But for the fact that the GFA insisted on its independence, just like FIFA wishes it should be separated from football, we would still have some novice trying to climb the ladder unto CAF. The GFA should continue with its independence agenda.
There are already suggestions from some quarters that Mr Nyantakyi should give up his position as GFA president. This cannot be right and proper. One position actually feeds into the other. At both CAF and FIFA, he is representing English-speaking African countries.
For a very long time, African and world football has been dominated by our brothers from the French- speaking and Arab speaking countries. Now, Ghana and Sierra Leone have broken the barrier of domination.
The least we can do is pray and support what we have. It is not all changes that are fruitful and apt. There are some politicians I don’t like seeing on my TV. All that I do ischanage channel. Those who don’t want to see the GFA president should do the same.
Mr Nyantakyi has, with the support of his colleagues at the GFA, achieved a lot. It is not a coincidence that with his appearance on the Ghanaian football scene, Ghana has seen a lot of positive improvements in its football.
He came in 2005 and since 2006, Ghana has qualified and participated in all the FIFA World Cup tournaments. We should pause and count the dividends that those participations have yielded. If for nothing at all, they have sold and advertised the name and flag of Ghana.
No number of advertisements on BBC, CNN or in TIME magazine can equal the exposure that our World Cup exploits have given us. Any assistance that we as a nation give to promote our football and indeed any sporting enterprise would surely yield multiplying results.
There is another FIFA election ahead of Mr Nyantakyi in March next year for the same position. That election would be easier, since he has already advertised himself as the front-runner for the English-speaking seat on the FIFA Executive Council. It is hoped that our GFA would continue to push and support him. His election was another historic moment for Ghana football and it means a lot for us.
Perhaps it is a coincidence that at the time that he has climbed up onto the FIFA Council, his team Wa All Stars have also deservedly won the Ghana Premier League. And the team would certainly be participating in the CAF Champions League next season.
Like the owner, the team appears to operate in a low-key manner. The team cannot boast of any national stars, but with the young age, stamina and talent of the players, the team will surely make significant in-roads into African football. It is hoped that both the team and its owner would prove that Wa is a worthy contributor to Ghana football.
We should all congratulate and support Mr Nyantakyi to keep the flag of Ghana flying high in the football world. Perhaps our football can succeed and push us more than the other national endeavours. Perhaps it is high time that our football divorced itself from any governmental support. This way we would be spared some of the uncalled for noises.
Congrats Mr Nyantakyi, as you move from Wa to Zurich!!