Veteran coach, J.E Sarpong, has slammed the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, for running the association like his personal property to the detriment of the nation.

He explained that the failure of the FA president to supervise the organs of the association effectively to apply the rules in a transparent, just and professional manner had resulted in the protracted court action against the FA and the falling standards of Ghana soccer in recent times.

Speaking to the Graphic Sports in an interview, Coach Sarpong said as the head of the FA, Mr Nyantakyi should have ensured that all the issues that compelled Accra Great Olympics to go to court were resolved before rushing for congress to announce the start of the Premier League.

“It is a fact that the judicial organ of the FA has not been performing to expectation, but instead of revamping it to ensure fair play and justice in the adjudication of cases, this important organ had been allowed to operate in a way that was detrimental to football administrators over the years. If structures put in place by the FA are not working, there is no way the league can generate interest, be attractive and competitive as we all desire,” he lamented.

“This lack of consistency of putting measures in place to run the league smoothly is one of the key factors undermining the development of football in this era,” he noted. “Kwesi [Nyantakyi] is the head of the GFA and is, therefore, responsible for the smooth running of the league. If he does not put measures in place to monitor the league and something goes wrong, he takes the blame.”

According to Coach Sarpong, football is regarded as the passion of the citizenry. “This is because people dine and wine with football, so they look to the FA as a redeemer to calm their nerves, but the FA seems not to be dancing to the tune of the citizenry for them to enjoy the game more meaningfully.”

He said: “There is something seriously missing in the way football is run at the moment, and until the missing link is put in place, the downward trend of Ghana football will continue.”

Comparing football in Ghana to the English Premier League (EPL), Coach Sarpong noted: “The EPL has become very attractive, competitive and lucrative because the English FA has put structures that are functionally working. That is not what we see in Ghana. The league is gradually waning, and that explains why Ghanaians have turned their attention to European football.”