Black Stars. INSET: Elvis Afriyie Ankrah
A seasoned football administrator has linked recent Black Stars struggles to wild allegations levelled against former Sports Minister, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah after the Brazil 2014 World Cup.
To the experienced football faithful, the senior national football side’s unimpressive performance could be linked to the infamous allegation of the former minister supervising the purchase of a coconut for $20,000, among others, which led to the minister’s appearance at the Justice Dzamefe’s Commission.
The former Sports Minister shed tears uncontrollably responding to allegations against him after the soccer festival nine years ago.
And to the football administrator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the false accusation against the former sports chief, leading to the shedding of tears, was a bad omen for the Black Stars.
The former minister succeeded in raising an appreciable amount of money for aggrieved past national football stars – Reverend Osei Kofi, Wilberforce Mfum, Reverend Kofi Pare, Ibrahim Sunday, Dan Owusu, among others during his tenure.
The administrator said “…it may sound awkward to many, especially those who don’t believe in spirituality, the fact that someone doesn’t believe in it doesn’t mean such things does not exist. I strongly believe the team is struggling because of what we subjected Elvis to.”
He added, “We were not fair to him at all; making him weep in front of the commission was a bad sign, his tears to me speaks volumes and l can connect it to the reason the team is struggling.
“This is a man who pushed for the payment of our former stars who had complained of their unpaid bonuses for decades after winning one of our four AFCON trophies.
“It is high time we as a football fraternity in particular, and the nation as a whole rendered unqualified apology for subjecting him to public ridicule.”
After the 2014 World Cup, Ghana has struggled to find its rhythm at the international stage.
Their recent loss to less fancied Comoros in their World Cup qualifier, a narrow win over Madagascar, coupled with two streak defeats to Mexico and US has generated debate among lovers of the game.
From The Sports Desk