These are interesting times in this country, especially on the sporting front. The commission set up to investigate the infamous Brazil debacle continues to unravel bizarre happenings prior, during and after the tournament.
Last week’s proceedings were no different. The revelations have not only been revealing, but interesting as well.
I must confess work and other commitments have made it difficult for me to watch live proceedings, so I monitor dailyguideghana.com and other websites for more information on the commission’s proceedings. But by some divine coincidence, I’ve been able to watch some interesting proceedings. Although I missed the hearing the day Hon Chooboi wept, I was fortunate to be watching when Hon Kojo Adu-Asare, aka Hon Swagger, and Horace Ankrah appeared before the commission.
Hon Swagger was his usual confident self as he tried to dazzle the panel with his oratory. But it did not last long. He soon became tense when the Chairman and the other two panel members started asking probing questions. That was when the miraculous shoe-pricking episode started.
Did I hear you ask what the shoe-pricking episode was? Hon Swagger was answering questions when all of a sudden he started scratching his legs. The Chairman saw his discomfiture and asked what the problem was. He then told the commission that something was pricking him in his shoes. The magnanimous Chairman called for a two-minute recess for him to sort himself out. When proceedings re-started some minutes later, the magical shoe-pricking saga had stopped.
But that was not the end of the drama. Just like Hon Chooboi, he too became very emotional and wept. His beef was that he and his colleagues who managed (or is it mismanaged?) the organisation of the World Cup fiasco had not been appreciated by me and my compatriots. He therefore shed tears to show how he felt. A friend with whom I was watching the proceedings could not help but laugh at the spectacle. He wondered if Hon Swagger wanted to be patted on the back for wasting cowries on fans who were sent to Brazil only to realise that the match they were billed to watch was over.
Horace Ankrah also appeared before the commission last week. His presence brought out very interesting revelations. It was during his turn at the hearing that we all got to know that GH¢34 for a day’s feeding per person had metamorphosed into $35. Obviously enraged by that unfortunate development, the Chairman wanted to know from Horace how that happened. A visibly shaken Horace managed to say he was not responsible. When pushed further, he mentioned the Ministry of Youth and Sports as the body responsible for the metamorphosis.
Shockingly, however, when he returned the following day, he blamed the Chairman for his inability to give concise and precise answers in relation to the miraculous metamorphosis from cedis into dollars. He accused the Chairman of being abrasive and judgmental. He however retracted when his attention was drawn to the fact that he was overstepping his boundaries.
I’m not trying to be judgmental here. The mental picture I had as I watched the proceeding was that of a boy who was publicly having a watery stool as a result of eating too much. Ironically, instead of acknowledging that his predicament was as a result of engaging in gluttony, the boy was rather blaming others.
Another interesting event that happened last week was the sacking of Dr Kwesi Appiah as the head coach of the Black Stars. Before the Ghana-Togo match, it was rumoured that he was tasked to win the match or risk losing his job. The man went to Togo and won the match, but was given the boot anyway. The action of the ‘football people’, as they are popularly called, has raised a lot of eyebrows.
But trust me when I say I’m not surprised. I’m only surprised at the timing of the action. The FA had the opportunity to part ways with the man at no cost to the state when they returned from Brazil, but stubbornly refused. They went ahead and renewed his contract for another two years. Just about six weeks into the contract, they sack the man, knowing very well that their action could cost the country over $850,000. Don’t you smell a stinking rat?
Some call it conspiracy theory. But is it not intriguing that the FA took such an action at this time? Is it true that they deliberately took this action because some of them are also covert beneficiaries of the booty?
The mess has been caused and Kwesi Appiah sacked. I’ve heard many people express grief at Kwesi’s dismissal. Frankly, I’m very happy for him. He has been given the opportunity to make close to a million dollars without doing any work; isn’t that great news for him? I therefore encourage Kwesi to collect his cowries to the last cent, so that when next the FA is terminating a coach’s contract, they will think more than twice.
See you next week for another interesting kononsa, Deo volente!