Rejoinder by Keta Sunset Sports
We
have followed the news item published in which the impression was
created that Ghana Beach Soccer League Champions Sunset Sports Keta were
disrespectful to the La Mantse and dignitaries present when we
attempted to boycott the trophy and medals presentations and find it
necessary to issue a rejoinder.
Firstly,
Sunset Sports Keta wishes to place on record that the sad incidents at
the Beach Soccer Arena on that fateful Saturday the 21st of
September, 2013 was a legitimate protest against the GBSA attempt to
cage us into accepting Ghc2,500 instead of Ghc5,000 as our prize money
without showing any courtesy of giving us any explanations whatsoever.
The
remote cause of the GBSA President’s disaffection for the CEO of Sunset
Sports Keta is that since the maiden edition of the National league,
Mr. Dzidodo Ruben Adjahoe has been consistent in pointing out the GBSA’s
shortcomings and Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah’s insincerity and autocratic
leadership style which is dragging down beach soccer gradually.
During
the maiden campaign, at a time it was becoming difficult for the GBSA
to secure sponsorship for the division One league, a meeting was
arranged at the instance of the GBSA and it was proposed at the meeting
that Ghc2,000 should be taken off the prize money of Ghc5,000 for clubs
in the championship to be given as prize money to division one clubs and
Ghc 1,000 shared amount clubs which were travelling from outside Accra
to offset cost of transportation (We want to point out that Sunset
Sports Keta did not in any way get their share of the Ghc1,000) and an
agreement was reached on the proposal.
But
before the end of the season, the GBSA secured sponsorship from a South
African firm Clementia Contacto which was supposed to take care of the
division one league. We expected the GBSA to revert to the status quo
but that did not happen till we won the maiden competition and were
presented with a dummy cheque for Ghc2,000 at the coronation event which
we accepted without protest.
We later sort
clarifications from Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah in a meeting with the
executives and he explained the GBSA were financially constrained but
promised to top up the prize money with Ghc1,000 which again never
happened.
It's worthy to put on record that it
is our love for the game and our desire to support the GBSA to develop
beach soccer in Ghana that made us honour all league games against all
odds to win the maiden and subsequent titles consecutively when clubs in
Accra were failing to honour their games regularly.
During our maiden campaign, we played the entire season unbeaten and
lost just a game in the just ended campaign. These are achievements that
must be encouraged and celebrated but over the period of our
involvement in beach soccer we have received a regular backlash and raw
deal from the GBSA probably because we are led by the “almighty” Yaw
Ampofo Ankrah who cannot even be criticized constructively.
Before
the start of this campaign, we entered the competition with the
understanding that the prize money for the champions is Ghc5,000. In
fact, the decision taken to support the division one clubs was for the
maiden campaign and was not even applicable at the time because their
league secured sponsorship before the campaign ended and the prize money
given to their league champions was from Clementia Contacto unless the
association says otherwise.
And it’s surprising
how our league organizers will tell the world a decision taken in a
previous campaign which was never binding in the end will apply to the
current campaign when before the start of this league we held series of
meetings to take decisions. I'm wondering what is said to the league
sponsors in terms of budgets presented.
We had
no prior knowledge that the prize money for this season will be shared
and the issue of prize money has been discussed so many times in
meetings and on many other platforms.
We in
turn explained to our patrons, supporters and players that the club is
competing for a prize money of Ghc5,000 and it beats reasoning to tell
anyone involved you have been presented with Ghc2,500 when the GBSA
themselves did not find it appropriate or respectful enough to even hint
us of their intentions.
Considering the
amount of money we have spent on training, transportation, allowances
and feeding, we were expecting congratulations and encouragement but not
this under hand dealings being adopted by the GBSA and we were utterly
shocked and dismayed when it was announced that a dummy cheque of
Ghc2,500 is to be presented. We felt shamelessly short-changed,
dumbfounded and mummified hence the decision by the CEO to boycott the
presentations.
In our estimations, if there
were any acts of disrespect, then it came from the GBSA and they must
apologize to their guest for the embarrassments caused by their untimely
acts.
However, instead of finding a better way
to resolve the issue the President of the GBSA has rather resorted to
sending me threatening text messages and treats through phones calls.
I would use this opportunity to advice him to sit up, get abreast with
managing sports bodies which obviously he is struggling to do and also
make time to understand how basic rules apply since he is the man at the
helm of affairs of the GBSA but not go about boasting, raining insults
on “low profile individuals” and telling whoever is interested how much
money he can make in minutes.
The manner in
which the GBSA is being mismanaged by Yaw Ampofo Ankrah and his cronies
can be pictured or imagined in a recent claim by executives of the GBSA
that Ghc5,000 which is the associations’ money got lost in a taxi cab.
This has not been properly communicated because the GBSA does not even
render accounts and If this story of the missing cash which seems too
sweet to be true is actually true then it is carelessness if not
criminal negligence and definitely a dent on a young association as the
GBSA.
In conclusion, we dare the GBSA and Yaw
Ampofo Ankrah to go ahead with his threats and also tell the whole world
why they are giving us Ghc2,500 instead of Ghc5,000. It is best that
they tell the world they have misappropriated funds meant for the league
and seize all this noise in the name of huge reputations of the
“Almighty” Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.
We also wish to
call on the National Sports Authority, the Ghana Football Association.
The Sports Ministry and sponsors Cal Bank to please intervene on our
behalf to ensure that the GBSA does the right thing and would not just
twist the facts for their parochial interest.
Signed.
Dzidodo Ruben Adjahoe
CEO – Sunset Sports Keta
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