Include ex-footballers in football reforms - Odartey Lamptey

As part of efforts to restructure the game after the Anas exposé on corruption in Ghana football, ex-Black Stars player, Nii Odartey Lamptey says ex-footballers should be considered in the new administration and management of the Ghana Football Association.

According to the former national U17 World Cup winner, not all ex-players can be good coaches or administrators, but those with the experience will be able to help improve the Ghanaian game tremendously because of the experiences they have acquired over the years.

“It is time those helping to restructure the game consider the old players in the process. Imagine people like Abedi Pele, Anthony Yeboah, Tony Baffoe and many others managing our football”, he told Agoo TV.

Odartey Lamptey also indicated that he wasn’t surprised about the recent exposé on corruption in Ghana football by Tiger Eye PI and Anas Aremeyaw Anas, which had led to the government banning all football-related activities in the country and the president of the association resigning from his post.

“My team (Glowlamp Academy) have suffered from some unfair officiating in the past so we decided to withdraw from the league because in Ghana sometimes the referees are the ones that determine the results on the field not the players.

“I had to withdraw from the league if not I would have lost interest in the project I was working on.”

The exposé, he said, has helped to cleanse the game and commended government’s efforts to restructure the game.

However, he pleaded with government to speed up the reforms because businesses which thrive when there are football games are collapsing.

“Government should also consider the employment football gives to people in this country. The players, those who sell at the stadium and others, all do so to feed their families, so we should also consider these things and make sure football returns as quickly as possible.”

Odartey Lamptey, who is also a management member of the Black Satellites, says he is confident the team will qualify for the upcoming Africa youth championship.