Last Thursday, the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, became a member of the Executive Council Board of the world governing football body, the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), after winning an election to that effect.
The GFA boss won one of the two seats available for Africa on the FIFA Council in Cairo, Egypt, after polling 31 votes – one more than his closest challenger, Ahmad of Madagascar – to join CAF’s Vice President, Almamy Kabele Camara of Guinea.
With this remarkable achievement, Mr. Nyantakyi becomes the first Ghanaian to have served on both the executive boards of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and that of FIFA.
Kwesi Nyantakyi will attend his first meeting as a member of the FIFA Executive Council Board in Zurich next month, which will be its first-ever gathering since the world football governing body expanded its Council from 24 to 36 to replace the FIFA Executive Committee.
The Chronicle congratulates Mr. Nyantakyi for a well deserved honour, which is not only going to him as an individual, but which would benefit Ghana as a nation struggling to shape its football sector.
Even before chalking this enviable feat, many football lovers have been criticising the GFA boss, calling on him to step aside and allow other competent persons to take over the administration of Ghana football, because they believe he is bereft of ideas to move our local game forward.
This followed what many perceived as corrupt dealings that went on during the 2014 World Cup fiesta, and the unfolding events during and after the Presidential Commission set up by President John Mahama to probe the entire participation of Ghana in the tournament.
We, of The Chronicle, however, believe that at this point in time, we must be looking at the positive side of the man Kwesi Nyantakyi, and not the negative side, and throw our weight behind him, because his success would, to a large extent, depend on the support he gets from Ghanaians.
Though Mr. Kwesi Nyantakyi won the position through his own efforts without the support of government, it is Mother Ghana that would ultimately benefit from the position.
Let’s not forget that under his watch, as GFA boss, Ghana has seen some successes, which have helped to move the game of football forward.
Mr. Nyantakyi is on record as the one who helped Ghana to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, which was held in Germany, for the very first time in the history of the country.
It did not end there; he also helped Ghana to qualify for the 2010 and 2014 World Cup tourneys played in South Africa and Brazil respectively.
He is also credited for putting up the Ghanaman Soccer Center of Excellence in Prampram, which forms part of the FIFA goal project, where, today, most of the national teams camp before their games.
Again, he is noted to have secured a multi-purpose building that is being used as the headquarters of the Ghana Football Association.
The Chronicle believes that Mr. Nyantakyi would use his new position to push for the overall development of football, which is the passion of the people in the country.
He could, in addition, use his influence to woo foreign investors to come and invest in the Ghanaian football league, by buying clubs and pumping money into them, which would ultimately inure to the benefit of Ghana football.
If investors start flooding the local football league, the football people would have the opportunity to grow, as they would be in the loop, when it comes to opportunities for local football administrators and local club owners.
That is not to say that The Chronicle would sit aloof and watch the GFA boss ascend the new position and begin to mess up things, which would eventually affect the overall development of Ghana football.
Kudos once again, Mr. GFA President!
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