Coach Afranie In limbo

...As GFA, Ministry Tussle Rages On
The Ghana Football Association says it is waiting for government?s response to their request for a foreign coach to handle the national team.

GFA chairman Ben Koufie is of the opinion that the conditions that necessitated the hiring of a foreign coach have not changed and it?s therefore necessary that government endorses the decision to hire a foreign coach.

While the GFA is pressing ahead with its demand for a foreign coach, interim coach EK Afranie is in a state of limbo with no idea what the future holds for him with the Black Stars.

Coach EK Afranie is in fact a very uncomfortable man. Not because he says so, but because he cannot contribute to the see sawing between the Ghana football Association and the Ministry For Youth and Sports over his future with the national team.

When Afranie was appointed the replacement to Milan Zivadinovic who left Ghana in the lurch some three months ago, his designation was an interim coach or caretaker coach. That designation is obviously subject to change and the GFA contends that the time has come to effect the change.

That change requires a substantive coach to handle the Black Stars. In the GFA?s opinion, a foreign coach is the preferred choice and more probable to turn the ill fortunes of Ghana football right on its head. Preferred maybe but the Minister for Youth and Sports Edward Osei Kwaku says its to will tear the budgetary allocation of the Ministry apart.

But that is a notion Mr. Koufie contests. He argues that had Zivadinovic not left his position, the government will still be paying him and therefore the country should find a way of paying for a foreign coach. For now the GFA is waiting with bated breadth on what the government will say.

The Minister for Youth and sports Edward Osei Kwaku maintains that since its results we want and not necessarily the tag of contracting a foreign coach, EK Afranie must be given the opportunity to perform.

If he does not, then he will be booted out. When Afranie performs on the job, he will save Ghana some hard earned foreign exchange because he would pay much less compared to a foreign coach. But Ben Koufie believes that the Minister?s views are not representative of the government.

Meanwhile some of the foreign based players in the national team have appealed to the soccer authorities to settle the coaching issue immediately so the focus of the national team can be restored.

They say the see sawing between the GFA and the Ministry over a substantive coach for the Stars is clouding the program for the national team. Ghana?s next major assignment will be in June against Uganda but the national team may yet again fall prey to ill preparations if the coaching issued is not solved.