Ghana beach soccer league ends in grand style – Rejoinder
We have followed the news item published in which the impression was created that Ghana Beach Soccer League Champions Sunset Sports Keta were disrespectful to the La Mantse and dignitaries present when we attempted to boycott the trophy and medals presentations and find it necessary to issue a rejoinder.
Firstly, Sunset Sports Keta wishes to place on record that the sad incidents at the Beach Soccer Arena on that fateful Saturday the 21st of September, 2013 was a legitimate protest against the GBSA attempt to cage us into accepting Ghc2,500 instead of Ghc5,000 as our prize money without showing any courtesy of giving us any explanations whatsoever.
The remote cause of the GBSA President’s disaffection for the CEO of Sunset Sports Keta is that since the maiden edition of the National league, Mr. Dzidodo Ruben Adjahoe has been consistent in pointing out the GBSA’s shortcomings and Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah’s insincerity and autocratic leadership style which is dragging down beach soccer gradually.
During the maiden campaign, at a time it was becoming difficult for the GBSA to secure sponsorship for the division One league, a meeting was arranged at the instance of the GBSA and it was proposed at the meeting that Ghc2, 000 should be taken off the prize money of Ghc5, 000 for clubs in the championship to be given as prize money to division one clubs and Ghc 1,000 shared amount clubs which were travelling from outside Accra to offset cost of transportation (We want to point out that Sunset Sports Keta did not in any way get their share of the Ghc1, 000) and an agreement was reached on the proposal. But before the end of the season, the GBSA secured sponsorship from a South African firm Clementia Contacto which was supposed to take care of the division one league. We expected the GBSA to revert to the status quo but that did not happen till we won the maiden competition and were presented with a dummy cheque for Ghc2, 000 at the coronation event which we accepted without protest. We later sort clarifications from Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah in a meeting with the executives and he explained the GBSA were financially constraint but promised to top up the prize money with Ghc1, 000 which again never happened.
Its worthy to put on record that it is our love for the game and our desire to support the GBSA to develop beach soccer in Ghana that made us honour all league games against all odds to win the maiden and subsequent titles consecutively when clubs in Accra we failing to honour their games regularly. During our maiden campaign, we played the entire season unbeaten and lost just a game in the just ended campaign. These are achievements that must be encouraged and celebrated but over the period of our involvement in beach soccer we have received a regular backlash and raw deals from the GBSA probably because we are led by the “almighty” Yaw Ampofo Ankrah who cannot even be criticized constructively.
Before the start of this campaign, we entered the competition with the understanding that the prize money for the champions is Ghc5, 000. In fact, the decision taken to support the division one clubs was for the maiden campaign and was not even applicable at the time because their league secured sponsorship before the campaign ended and the prize money given to their league champions was from Clementia Contacto unless the association says otherwise. And it’s surprising how our league organizers will tell the world a decision taken in a previous campaign which was never binding in the end will apply to the current campaign when before the start of this league we held series of meetings to take decisions. Am wondering what is said to the league sponsors in terms of budgets presented.
We had no prior knowledge that the prize money for this season will be shared and the issue of prize money has been discussed so many times in meetings and on many other platforms. We in turn explained to our patrons, supporters and players that the club is competing for a prize money of Ghc5, 000 and it beats reasoning to tell anyone involved you have been presented with Ghc2, 500 when the GBSA themselves did not find it appropriate or respectful enough to even hint us of their intentions.
Considering the amount of money we have spent on training, transportation, allowances and feeding, we were expecting congratulations and encouragement but not this under hand dealings being adopted by the GBSA and we were utterly shocked and dismayed when it was announced that a dummy cheque of Ghc2, 500 is to be presented. We felt shamelessly short-changed, dumbfounded and mummified hence the decision by the CEO to boycott the presentations.
In our estimations, if there were any acts of disrespect, then it came from the GBSA and they must apologize to their guest for the embarrassments caused by their untimely acts. However, instead of finding a better way to resolve the issue the President of the GBSA has rather resorted to sending me threatening text messages and treats through phones calls. I would use this opportunity to advice him to sit up, get abreast with managing sports bodies which obviously he is struggling to do and also make time to understand how basic rules apply since he is the man at the helm of affairs of the GBSA but not go about boasting, raining insults on “low profile individuals” and telling whoever is interested how much money he can make in minutes.
The manner in which the GBSA is being mismanaged by Yaw Ampofo Ankrah and his cronies can be pictured or imagined in a recent claim by executives of the GBSA that Ghc5, 000 which is the associations’ money got lost in a taxi cab. This has not been properly communicated because the GBSA does not even render accounts and If this story of the missing cash which seems too sweet to be true is actually true then it is carelessness if not criminal negligence and definitely a dent on a young association as the GBSA.
In conclusion, we dare the GBSA and Yaw Ampofo Ankrah to go ahead with his threats and also tell the whole world why they are giving us Ghc2, 500 instead of Ghc5, 000. Its best they tell the world they have misappropriated funds meant for the league and seize all this noise in the name of huge reputations of the “Almighty” Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.
We also wish to call on the National Sports Authority, the Ghana Football Association. The Sports Ministry and sponsors Cal Bank to please intervene on our behalf to ensure that the GBSA does the right thing and would not just twist the facts for their parochial interest.
Signed.
Dzidodo Ruben Adjahoe
CEO – Sunset Sports Keta
024 3670671/ 057 2999944
