Sack Michael Essien From Black Stars – Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe

One-time chairman of the Ghana Football Association, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, says “Ghana will be better off without the bad influence of Michael Essien”. He has therefore, called for the player’s expulsion from the national team following his latest demand to be excused from national team games.

Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe said much as that decision appears tough, it has become necessary to set a good example to other players “in order that we are not held to ransom at a crucial time”.

Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe’s views come in the wake of the Chelsea player’s request that he be excused from international duty for the time being after returning from an injury-induced long layoff that forced him to miss the World Cup in South Africa last year.

In an interview with Graphic Sports yesterday, the firebrand football administrator always remembered for his no-nonsense style said “no one is indispensable in any field of endeavour, including football.

“We must be courageous to call the bluff of those who seek to hold us to ransom. Essien, in particular, has shown little commitment to the cause of the Black Stars, and it is high time we forgot about him.

“After all, it is when someone leaves that new talents emerge, as it happened in the case of Mohammed Polo when he bounced onto the scene as a small boy in the 1970s,” he recalled.

While acknowledging the quality of Essien, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe said the midfielder’s commitment at Chelsea during midweek when he played an influential part in their 2-1 victory over Manchester United had hardly been replicated in the Black Stars’ jersey.

“It was the exposure that Ghana gave him as an Under-17 in 1999 that has ultimately yielded career in Europe. If he is unwilling to reciprocate the gesture, or believes he has finished paying his due, let’s leave him alone,” Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe.