Opinion: Martha Bissah is her own enemy

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GABRIEL TENUO 9 years ago

U've hit the nail right on the head,have been wondering who has been advising this girl,it happened to one Doris Frema Wiredu,this was a budding talent in the 100 meters ,a student of Okess then,she was advised against runnin ...
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U've hit the nail right on the head,have been wondering who has been advising this girl,it happened to one Doris Frema Wiredu,this was a budding talent in the 100 meters ,a student of Okess then,she was advised against running for Ghana because she will salute the national flag,which Jehovah witnesses are against ,l won't be suprised her advisers are doing so because of political leanings,but her future is at stake she must think it's not too late.
KELLY BLUEBOOK 9 years ago

Nonsense, is it wrong for an athlete to stand for the TRUTH ? She exposed the ills in ghana athletics and you say she is her own enemy ? Oh, so its wrong for her to to kowtow to their illicit demands right ?
Ghana is just a ...
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Nonsense, is it wrong for an athlete to stand for the TRUTH ? She exposed the ills in ghana athletics and you say she is her own enemy ? Oh, so its wrong for her to to kowtow to their illicit demands right ?
Ghana is just a joke and a disgrace.I see now, corruption is a life style and sabotaging ones career is a norm. I hope she naturalizes for some other country.
kweku trouble 9 years ago

What truth are you talking about? The only truth is that she's is damaging her own chances of progress. Do you think because she is not doing well now, other athletes are not? People who could not beat her before are now bet ...
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What truth are you talking about? The only truth is that she's is damaging her own chances of progress. Do you think because she is not doing well now, other athletes are not? People who could not beat her before are now better than her. She changed trainer, turned down a scholarship opportunity and resorted to play to the political whims of her shallow advisors and sports journalists with an agenda against the leadership of the GAA. Those who advised her against the scholarship have not been able to get her one while her contemporaries are studying and honing their skills abroad. Bad people like you won't tell her the truth because you wish everything goes wrong in this country because your party is not in power. Shame on you and all who wish her to fail, so you can make political and tribal capital out of it. Think about her future and the honour she will bring to the nation.
Saint Ghfuo: Mediocrity Stinks!!! 9 years ago

Don't throw away ur talent. Go back to nii odartey and ask for his forgiveness. If u can't secure a scholarship becos of ur grades. I'm sure u can even get into a tertiary institution in South Africa even ghana like legon etc ...
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Don't throw away ur talent. Go back to nii odartey and ask for his forgiveness. If u can't secure a scholarship becos of ur grades. I'm sure u can even get into a tertiary institution in South Africa even ghana like legon etc and still train on a national scholarship. Throwing away ur talent will ruin ur life....think big Martha and go back to nii and let things train u again
KADMUS 9 years ago

Those of you who want Martha to shut up and not tell the truth about the ills in the corridors of the GAA are as dense as all the numb nutted wankers out there. Go get your facts straight and stick a sock in your pie hole. M ...
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Those of you who want Martha to shut up and not tell the truth about the ills in the corridors of the GAA are as dense as all the numb nutted wankers out there. Go get your facts straight and stick a sock in your pie hole. Martha is better off plying her trade somewhere else.
SKWABBY,UK 9 years ago

So with all respect what then is affecting her now if you don't see it that way because she should qualify by the decision she's made

So with all respect what then is affecting her now if you don't see it that way because she should qualify by the decision she's made
OSEI TUTU TAWIAH 9 years ago

What's affecting her is that she refused Prof Dodoo or whatever his name is, to take over her bank accounts and manage her finances. Dodoo being the GAA boss then made her an enemy, followed by his numerous wonkye ni accompl ...
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What's affecting her is that she refused Prof Dodoo or whatever his name is, to take over her bank accounts and manage her finances. Dodoo being the GAA boss then made her an enemy, followed by his numerous wonkye ni accomplices in the GAA.
Damm 9 years ago

I'm left speechless. Bibini Blackman's lack of nurturing and management.

I'm left speechless. Bibini Blackman's lack of nurturing and management.
Saint Ghfuo: Mediocrity Stinks!!! 9 years ago

It's very sad and disheartening that those athletes she beat in China have all qualified to Rio Olympics. I'm sure they will be asking(Germany and ethiopian)..where is Martha? Hmmm

It's very sad and disheartening that those athletes she beat in China have all qualified to Rio Olympics. I'm sure they will be asking(Germany and ethiopian)..where is Martha? Hmmm
kwasi 9 years ago

GAA refused the attendance of meeting with Manager. The sacking of the coach also pains GAA so all efforts being made to paint her black. The thruth shall always stand

GAA refused the attendance of meeting with Manager. The sacking of the coach also pains GAA so all efforts being made to paint her black. The thruth shall always stand

GABRIEL TENUO 9 years ago

In this country people think when u stand up against a higher authority ,it means u fighting for your rights,before you fight make sure you do to defend your self and your are on the right course, this girl is veering off an ...
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In this country people think when u stand up against a higher authority ,it means u fighting for your rights,before you fight make sure you do to defend your self and your are on the right course, this girl is veering off an look at what you saying Mr.Kelly Bluebook or what you call yourself,insulting me for advising ,let the girl come with version,time and tide wait for no man are her manager?tell us.-
OSEI TUTU TAWIAH 9 years ago

So you mean out of the blues, the girl decided to fight with the GAA? Oh please !! We all know it's a fact that in Ghana, you keep quiet and get cheated or you challenge and get thrown out. Then foolish Ghanaians, being first ...
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So you mean out of the blues, the girl decided to fight with the GAA? Oh please !! We all know it's a fact that in Ghana, you keep quiet and get cheated or you challenge and get thrown out. Then foolish Ghanaians, being first class hypocrites will all turn against you. We have not forgotten, Muntari, K.P. Boateng and Michael Essien, who is now struggling with his career because of Ghana.
Arhin 9 years ago

Can someone link her to me? I have being trying to connect her to some colleges in the USA but, all the people I have come across seem to be against her.

Can someone link her to me? I have being trying to connect her to some colleges in the USA but, all the people I have come across seem to be against her.
Olonka 9 years ago

facebook

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Olonka 9 years ago

Micky Osei Berko aka Master Richard is her guardian

Micky Osei Berko aka Master Richard is her guardian
Olonka 9 years ago

Some of us are privy to information. have you asked why when she was given 10,000 GHC GAA asked for part of the money? have asked other athletes if they have gone through same and have said no? Have you question the amount of ...
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Some of us are privy to information. have you asked why when she was given 10,000 GHC GAA asked for part of the money? have asked other athletes if they have gone through same and have said no? Have you question the amount of victimization and favoritism in GAA such that athletes can't even express their concerns? DO you home work well and anonymously even interview the athletes both local and foreign than you can change your story head line unless you have been paid to do this.
OSEI TUTU TAWIAH 9 years ago

Don't mind those hypocrites and corrupt cheats in Ghana. This is exactly what happened with the Black Stars that started all the brouhaha in Brazil, but as usual, the fools in Ghana will always favour corruption as against th ...
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Don't mind those hypocrites and corrupt cheats in Ghana. This is exactly what happened with the Black Stars that started all the brouhaha in Brazil, but as usual, the fools in Ghana will always favour corruption as against the truth.
Isaac Lamptey Nii 9 years ago

I am Nii Lamptey Isaac,former coach of Martha Bissah, is very sad to hear all the comment about her,let forgive her and give her another chance. Martha that i know can still make it. This is my number if anybody want to know ...
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I am Nii Lamptey Isaac,former coach of Martha Bissah, is very sad to hear all the comment about her,let forgive her and give her another chance. Martha that i know can still make it. This is my number if anybody want to know more about her can call me
Isaac Lamptey Nii 9 years ago

I am Nii Lamptey Isaac,former coach of Martha Bissah, is very sad to hear all the comment about her,let forgive her and give her another chance. Martha that i know can still make it. This is my number if anybody want to know ...
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I am Nii Lamptey Isaac,former coach of Martha Bissah, is very sad to hear all the comment about her,let forgive her and give her another chance. Martha that i know can still make it. This is my number if anybody want to know more about her can call me 0271541616
what a shame! 9 years ago

What a terrible shame about this young talented girl. She should be protected at the highest levels as a national asset and an example to other girls. This should never have happened.She needs protection and the Ghanaian peop ...
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What a terrible shame about this young talented girl. She should be protected at the highest levels as a national asset and an example to other girls. This should never have happened.She needs protection and the Ghanaian people need to step up and ask questions about what's going on and put all the 'grown up' mostly men under pressure to do the right thing.Problem is that she doesn't have any protection from the vagaries of the system.Athletes ofte break with their coaches when they need to step up and up their game.They all do it. Andy Murray just did it!SHe should not be punished for wanting more expertise. If you want to compete with the best, then you have to sometimes make a change and it is wrong to punish an athlete because of powerful vested interests.She needs a higher level of training and facilities and support structure and she'll go far. IF Ghana lose this talent it will be a major set back for girls in sports.

Unknown investigator 9 years ago

Eiiiii Amanfuo. This is sad....I wish people will go to GAA office and ask for the facts. Many people accuse the federation wrongly and don't bother to get the facts. We have been following this story for a long time and have ...
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Eiiiii Amanfuo. This is sad....I wish people will go to GAA office and ask for the facts. Many people accuse the federation wrongly and don't bother to get the facts. We have been following this story for a long time and have interacted with both parties. GAA opened their doors to us and we looked at all the evidence. We also spoke with Martha's group.
Truth The truth of the matter is Martha lied about GAA "demanding" money from her. What was said to Martha was "Put aside $2500, so that when your scholarship is ready and GAA doesn't have sponsorship money to pay for your ticket, you can use some of that to buy your ticket and use the rest for personal expenses". In our opinion, that does not equate to "demanding" money from her.
GAA has sent 24 athletes to the USA on full scholarship. We spoke with several of them. Some bought their own plane tickets, some tickets were purchased by GAA. There are 2 conditions for scholarship; one is athletic performance and academic records. Martha was asked to produce her school grades to complete the scholarship process. We have information that she hasn't done that in 2 years. Every year that she stays home, one year of her scholarship is forfeited. We were provided evidence of 3 schools which had offered her scholarships. Further more, the GAA president gave her a laptop computer to learn how to type before going to USA on scholarship. Martha still has the laptop.

GAA suspended Martha indefinitely; Why?
Martha was invited to meet with the federation to discuss her welfare and answer questions regarding her allegation that GAA had asked her for money. She did not show up at the first meeting, she came to the second meeting, but left shortly before meeting started without informing the executives.
She was invited to another meeting, but came with a fellow who was not recognized by the federation as a legal representative of Martha. Martha also came to the meeting with an elder brother, whom her mother had sent as a representative. The "unrecognized" fellow was asked to excuse the meeting and report indicates he refused to leave, - saying he wouldn't allow Martha to speak if he was not present. Martha indicated she wouldn't speak to the GAA executives if the unrecognised representative was asked to leave. So they left. There was a fourth meeting in which Martha and her guardian were present. After the meeting, GAA was expecting an apology from Martha. This was a condition for reinstatement. Apology was supposed to be for her false allegation against GAA that they demanded money from her. She refused to do that and came to the final competition with the intention to compete. As a neutral observer, I think this behavior is uncalled for.
When federations are wrong, we call them to book, but for this one.. I think GAA deserves an apology.
kwame 9 years ago

Martha is a young talented and from what I've read about her comes from a rural and humble background. I can imagine it must be terrifying to be thrown into the limelight after her win, and the idea of just leaving and going ...
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Martha is a young talented and from what I've read about her comes from a rural and humble background. I can imagine it must be terrifying to be thrown into the limelight after her win, and the idea of just leaving and going to the US a really scary option. Maybe some people will jump at it and want to go but a young girl from her background would probably be very frightened about this 'opportunity'. I my opinion, these men, because they are all men dealing with this young girl, have NO idea about the human being behind the whole situation. I can imagine if I were in Martha's shoes, I would not want to have meetings alone, I would not want to run off to America on my own without a CLUE about the place and totally terrified about the whole thing. As for saying that she should put some money aside to fund her competitions, that is not right at all. She is a Gold medallist for the country. If the country needs her to compete they should pay for her travel to the meets. Why should she apologise? Just because she is a simple girl, she is being bullied and told to apologise before she can be reinstated for 'false allegations'. This is a dictatorship and fear tactics. If no one can ask questions because of fear of being banned or banished or having their careers destroyed. This is the problem with the whole sports system of Ghana. Everyone is afraid to speak up the rank and file are filled with yes men and there is an abuse of power. It is an absolutely terrible situation for this young girl. These MEN should have had more sense and understood that a young girl like Martha is not equipped to deal with going off on 'scholarship' to the US and they should have allowed her to voice her fears and then maybe, with a bit more sensitivity they could have come up with a structure that could support this talented youngster. Shame on all the men in charge. Shame!
Unknown investigator 9 years ago

My good friend, stop deceiving the general public. So sad for you. You can't even read and understand basic english. This statement from your write-up was never mentioned anywhere. Please read again.
"As for saying that she ...
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My good friend, stop deceiving the general public. So sad for you. You can't even read and understand basic english. This statement from your write-up was never mentioned anywhere. Please read again.
"As for saying that she should put some money aside to fund her competitions, that is not right at all. She is a Gold medallist for the country. If the country needs her to compete they should pay for her travel to the meets. Why should she apologise?"
Money was supposed to by her plane ticket to school.
What else can one ask for if they are offered an opportunity to earn degree and also develop their athletic talent to serve their nation. If she doesn't earn a degree, what will she lean on when she retires?
Please stop portraying Martha as a village girl. She attended school in Kumasi (Ashanti Region). Do you mean the other 24 athletes who left earlier, some from smaller towns in Upper East and Northern Regions were not in the same situation as Martha? Most of them were also discovered at the Ashanti Super Zonal athletic champs. Please stop belittling Martha. She is a very intelligent woman.
No one demanded money from Martha, she knows that very well. The truth will come out one day. For those of you who decide to fabricate lies to promote your political ambitions...God is watching you. The good people of GAA will continue doing their best. You mentioned that the nation should pay all her expenses.....hmmmm. Sad, please educate yourself, you sound very desperate right now....sorry.
Yaw 9 years ago

I don't know why you are being offensive? I don't know Martha so maybe you do? But I've seen a very nice film on her and she was presented as a quiet humble girl from a small village. And even when she talks she seems quite ...
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I don't know why you are being offensive? I don't know Martha so maybe you do? But I've seen a very nice film on her and she was presented as a quiet humble girl from a small village. And even when she talks she seems quite shy and focused. That's what they showed of her home life. It's not belittling to say that a young girl may have just been overwhelmed by the idea of leaving home to go to the States and just because other people go off to America doesn't mean it suits everyone? Of course it's a great opportunity and I'm sure she's intelligent and deserves every opportunity but the point is that these MEN should have respected her intelligence and ASKED her what SHE wanted??? They didn't treat her as a young girl who needed time and nurturing. In any case, the issue of the money is that she was given a special prize for being a special young lady by the President. It was her decision and her family's decision what to do with it. When they complained the GAA got upset at and then started to block her, suspend her, demand apologies - all bullies and terrible behaviour. And if there is a championship, whether African, continental, or world, or olympic then yes the nation should pay for the top ranked athlete to go especially one that is young and has talent and has won medals and can demonstrate good results. It's ridiculous to say I'm sad and need to educate myself or am desperate? Desperate for what? Weird post!!!
Kwame 9 years ago

Wow, I'd like to jump in and also make a few comments. The Ghana Athletics Federation, prior to June 2016 has not received any financial assistance from the Government or Sports Ministry. They have been operating on funds the ...
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Wow, I'd like to jump in and also make a few comments. The Ghana Athletics Federation, prior to June 2016 has not received any financial assistance from the Government or Sports Ministry. They have been operating on funds they seek from sponsors. All the local competitions are paid for by money donated by individuals. Government still owes per diem and bonuses of athletes from 2012 and 2014 Africa Championships. I know when Martha's video was shot by Info Boxx TV and TXT Ghana. They went to the village where she was born. Martha was not forced to go to the USA. She actually said she wont go in October 2014. But please note - Martha's people are now saying she wasn't offered a scholarship. In 2014, Martha earned a lot of money, from Commonwealth games and Youth Olympics. Immediately after she returned, her family decided GAA should not be part of her life. I don't think anyone from GAA was interested in her money. Bare in mind - All GAA executives are volunteers. They are not on salary. They have full time jobs. Martha's "agent" at that time, who is now her guardian prevented GAA from reaching the girl. Then they started making comments that GAA demanded money from the girl for scholarship. At that time, 18 athletes had been sent to schools with excellent facilities and good academic programs. Journalists we brought in to interview the student athletes and also check GAA records, NO STUDENT Athlete paid a dime to GAA for their scholarship. Some executives actually paid for NCAA/NAIA clearance fees for athletes. GAA executives understand how scary it can be to leave the shores of your country at 18 to an unknown place. We never forced any one. But you and me both know that Ghana does not have a high performance Center, that is why it was necessary to send Martha out. There's this other issue. For academic/sports scholarship in USA, once an athlete signs with an "agent", he or she is considered a professional athlete and they do not qualify for scholarship. That was one reason GAA met with Mikki Berko to discuss and change his status to guardian, to make sure Martha is still eligible for scholarship. Secondly, for every year she stays at home after Youth Olympics, and competes in athletics, she loses one year of eligibility for scholarship. Since 2014, 6 other athletes have left on scholarship. Most of them paid for their plane tickets. The scholarship offered by H.E President Mahama was the same scholarship secured by GAA. Martha was supposed to provide her academic records to fulfill to finalize the scholarship. She still hasn't done that. Someone is going around on radio they have sent the results to the US schools. The question is why have they not submitted results to us? GAA tried to reach out to Martha on several occasions. We are not bad people. Our athletes can attest to that. But in everything you do, you will always have enemies. We welcome constructive criticisms. I believe in life, when you are wrong, a simple "I am sorry" calms all tempers. Some of us have tried to be peace makers and intermediaries to help resolve this issue. We end up being insulted on radio and TV and on media platforms.
sports fan 9 years ago

The bottom line is that the GAA have mismanaged a situation with a talented young GIRL athlete. Whatever the reason or however it has happened and whoever is to blame. As for saying everyone at GAA is a volunteer and doing ...
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The bottom line is that the GAA have mismanaged a situation with a talented young GIRL athlete. Whatever the reason or however it has happened and whoever is to blame. As for saying everyone at GAA is a volunteer and doing what they do out of the goodness of their heart, the fact is that the Presdiency of a Federation brings kudos and expense paid trips abroad and power and access to all sorts of things. There are Federation within Ghana that actually charge young people money to take them abroad and then the young person actually stays on as an immigrant. I'm not saying the GAA is guilty of this at all but there is one case in particular that i know of personally where this has happened. The person they took to the championship had never even played the sport before. Now you can't tell me the Presidento fthis Ghana sports Federation, a volunteer, is doing what he's doing because he's just a nice person who loves the sport! HE GETS PAID ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. I'm not saying the same applies to GAA because every Federatio is different. I'm just making the point that this defence of the Federation people being volunteers and just so dedicated to the sport wears thin when you actually see what's going on up close and personal with some of the Federation. No one dares speak or complain because nothing gets done and it's busines as usual because that's how it's set up to b asically protect the Federations to continue with their wrongdoing 'their bread and butter' as one insider put it. So to come back to the case of Martha Bissah. here is a young girl who has a great natural talent. She wins a gold medal at Youth Olympic level which is unique She has potential, she comes back and the President honours her. Everyone starts making decisions for her and telling her what to do. she asks someone for help and this person is given the title of 'agent' though it is highly unlikely he has any 'agent' credentials. The plan is she should go abroad but she's not sure so she doesn't fill in the paperwork. The men at the GAA are offended How can she refuse such a great opportunityl. Well here;s a news flash 'everyone is different' and a young girl, whether from a village or froma city, has a right to decide what she wants to do' the job of the professionals is to work with her and her family to get her to her fullest potential. Burning bridges, threatening, deselecting, brandishing power and almightiness over ther career is not a way to win friends and influence people. AND WHO SUFFERS? ironically not the girl athlete because, quite frankly she doesn't even know yet what she's capable of because she has just started her journey. NO WHO SUFFERS IS THE COUNTRY and the youth that come after her andinher case particularly other young girls that so desperately need role models.

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Opinion: Martha Bissah is her own enemy

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