Ampofo Ankrah (L) with Kurt
Ghana Beach Soccer chairman, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, has advised Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku to hold his PR officers in check or suffer the consequences and backlash that may affect his chances at the FA presidential elections slated for October 2023.
The Ghana Beach Soccer Chairman and Director of Communications at the Ghana Olympic Committee believes that Okraku is fortunate to have people openly criticising him rather than plotting his downfall as was the case with his predecessor Kwesi Nyantakyi.
“So far, Kurt has performed well with innovative projects since he took office almost four years ago, and should just allow his good works to speak for him and resist the temptation of defensive PR and propaganda by his media mouthpieces because Ghanaians are far too discerning for that.
The Kurt Okraku administration has been generally applauded for introducing strategic policies, and several football development interventions across the country but still appears to be grappling with low public support although only 124 delegates will decide whether he should continue with another term come October 2023.
“This is my personal observation that in an effort to halt the fast dwindling goodwill of the people and also voices of disapproval within the football system, it appears the FA has gone into overdrive PR mode,” he added.
Ampofo Ankrah is convinced that the GFA machinery is dangerously underestimating the sudden change of mood in the country against the association and the men leading the clean-up are rather harming the institution with confrontational and abrasive PR gimmicks.
Ironically, he believes the official Communications Director of the GFA has done a good job so far by engaging the media professionally anytime he is called to duty.
“Let me be clear here that Henry Asante Twum is not the problem. He makes the usual slips once in a while in a tough job but generally speaking, he’s handled his role professionally and sticks to issues. The problem is the media hawks who lack the local to global mindset that the GFA needs at this stage,” he explained.
Ampofo Ankrah supports the legal route of dealing with defamation and false allegations against football administrators but insists that even if these agents have been employed to face the critics of the GFA, they can’t afford to be confrontational.
“A bit of humility and professionalism by those who speak for Kurt will do him a lot of good, but they are employing the exact opposite strategy.
“We must understand that we operate in a democracy. We may not like or be comfortable with criticism but people have a right to freely speak their minds without being tagged enemies of the GFA,” he added.
Meanwhile, the 29th Ordinary Session of Congress will be held today at the Great Hall, KNUST, in Kumasi.
From The Sports Desk