Avram Grant May Need Greater Protection than Previous Helmsmen

Recently, Ghanaians were informed by the Ghana Football Association that Avram Grant (name at birth: Avraham Granat), the largely successful soccer coach who spent the last few years managing notable English clubs, has been appointed manager of Ghana’s Black Stars. My article is not about Avram Grant’s suitability or otherwise for the high-pressure job; instead, this piece is about the government’s responsibility for Avram Grant’s safety, especially when the team travels to predominantly Muslim nation-states in Africa and elsewhere for both official and unofficial soccer matches.

In today’s politically turbulent world, the Israeli’s safety should be a paramount concern for the Government of Ghana, Ghana’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Ghana Football Association. With the proliferation of narcissistic and chthonic terror groups like Boko Haram, ISIS, and al-Qaeda, no one can be certain when Avram Grant could become the target of a looney acolyte of a looney lunkhead – or even a terrorist group – who might want to advance the dastardly tenets of Jihadism and, in return, receive conjugal benefits from 72 virgins in eternal bliss, or paradise.

While Avram Grant is not an Israeli politician, and therefore does not help formulate Israel’s domestic or foreign policy initiatives, some uneducated, unhinged, reprobate jihadists may be unaware of this fact, and hence see Avram Grant as a target of their disdain, simply because the new Black Stars’ manager is an Israeli.

Avram Grant deserves maximum protection from our security forces, especially when the team is on assignment overseas, and I pray that our politicians will make sure that adequate security measures are put in place at all times for the Black Stars’ manager’s safety. This task is quite herculean, which is why it deserves maximum attention from officials in the John Mahama-superintended administration. Many contemporary jihadists only observe the law of the jungle; in other words, they are not subject to the rule of law or probative facts that underpin guilt or innocence. As such, leaving Avram Grant’s safety to pure providence would be tantamount to smoking a cigarette next to a leaky tank of gasoline.

Avram Grant deserves the job, if, indeed, the Ghana Football Association believes that it made an impartial selection of the former from the list of managers who applied for the job. But with Grant’s selection comes the need for additional security because of the man’s consanguineous ties to the State of Israel. The Government of Ghana should take this responsibility very seriously because Grant’s appointment could improve diplomatic relations between Ghana and Israel (even though Grant’s appointment is not a political one). Additionally, Grant’s appointment should help the African nation assess its capacity to provide security for a man who, simply by virtue of where he was born, could become a target of anti-Semites both inside and outside of the former British colony.

Officials in the John Mahama-led administration have been advised accordingly …

Daniel K. Pryce, Ph.D., is a criminologist by profession. He may be followed on Twitter: @DanielKPryce. He invites the reader to join the pressure group “Good Governance in Ghana” on Facebook.com. “Good Governance in Ghana” is a group that emphasizes the preservation of democracy, justice, equity, and law and order in Ghana; its 365-plus members are all permitted to start discussions that promote the national interest.