Whither Baba Amando?

GREAT CAUSE FOR CONCERN!
Let us leave Doya to do his job! I have heard some say. I agree. When a coach chalks up a long winning streak his views can hardly be questioned. But when a coach flops so spectacularly as Doya did at a major tourney, his views on players selection etc cannot be considered sacrosanct. In fact the notion that it is always the coach’s absolute prerogative to decide who plays in the squad has been proven to be improper sometimes. In 1990, in the wisdom of the very experienced coach of Cameroon, Roger Milla did not fit in Cameroon squad. The President, a layman in soccer terms, heeded the cry of the people and insisted that Milla be included in the team. Again in 2002, the coach thought Mboma was not good for the national squad. Public outcry got Mboma in the team. In both instances the players concerned became the heroes of the tournament! In the wisdom of one Ghanaian coach, Gerald Asamoah was not fit for Black Stars. Today he plays for Germany.
The subject of Baba Armando’s exclusion from the squad will simply not go away. People have made references to Erickson and Scolari dropping Shaun Wright-Philips and Romario respectively from their squad. Yet those countries (England, Brazil, Holland) are a completely different kettle of fish. Brazil ,England , Holland have superfluity of talent. In our the case, brethern, the striking ability of the Black Stars is so woeful that Doya had to go asearching in second and third division clubs for strikers! So when the only player who consistently comes on as a sub to score is dropped, it is a big, big deal and there is certainly a big cause for concern. More so when in the coach’s own words “he [Armando] is a very good player” – 14th May 2006 edition of “Road to Germany” on Metro-TV hosted by Yaw Ampofo-Ankrah. It is not just the opinion of we the “too known Ghanaians” but Doya himself shares this opinion that the player is very good! Yet in his expert opinion this player does not deserve to be in the squad while a player who “sits in the public” (coaches own words) to watch his club is firmly planted in the squad. I had grade “A” in advanced Maths, but this one I cannot crack! Isn’t it instructive that no less a person than Stephen Appiah has also lamented the exclusion of Baba Armando? While no player has the right to decide who plays, a captain’s opinion in any team, be it club or country, matters a lot to any coach worth his salt!
Let us examine the excuses Doya gave for Armando’s Exclusion. That Armando has no club. An assertion that is completely false yet swallowed hook, line and sinker by GFA. It needs only a phone call to the Ghana Embassy in Russia to cross-check this with Baba’s club. We are talking about national cum continental assignment on which FIFA would increase or reduce the slots for Africa. This is no trivia. Even if Armando were to be clubless, the question is; is it the performance of a player that matters or his club status? Were Paolo Rossi and Roger Milla playing active club football prior to WC 1982 and 1990 respectively? Four clubless players are going to this WC, one of them being a captain.
The second was that Armando is not currently fit and will fail fitness test, if he was subjected to it. See? So what is the training regime before the World Cup supposed to do? Is it not to improve fitness of all the players etc before the world cup? Currently, are Matthew Amoah and Asamoah Gyan fully fit?
The third excuse was that Armando said he had no Schengen visa to travel for the Nice/Stuttgart games and therefore this shows he is not committed to the Black Stars. When a player is needed in a friendly international, is it the player’s responsibility to secure visa or the GFA’s? Who should be blamed if Armando could not get a visa to travel? Can someone educate me on this please?
We know why the GFA is unconcerned. They have already prepared their long list of excuses for failure to read out to us. Money is flowing like never before. They will do nothing yet the signs are clear that Doya has a bone to pick with Baba Armando, the only player who gave him a face saving goal within 6 minutes as a substitute when Doya’s preferred strikers had played 85 minutes with nothing to show for. Same as the Sammy Kuffuor saga. He would not have been in the team by now had it not been public outcry. Some have forgotten or are simply ignorant of the reasons why we lost Gerald Asamoah to Germany. To quote a Ghanaweb columnist “It seems the Stars’ disastrous encounter at the just ended African cup of nations, which witnessed one of the poorest performances from the team, has not offered any lessons.’
I conclude by advising to Baba Armando not to let the clamour for his inclusion make him swollen headed. We saw you in the pre-CAN2006 friendlies. We saw you in Ghana – Zimbabwe match when you were given only 6 minutes playing time. Again we saw you against Mexico during the 10 minutes or so you were given. Good to hear you do not feel down in any way. Be humble and don’t whine. Even if the coach makes you a ball boy in the Stars camp accept it as a privilege and do it diligently. Some one said if the Coach is against you, who can be for you?
Finally, I notice that there are two types of Ghanaians. Those who can easily forget about Black Stars debacles and move on. Then there are those whose heart still ache from the pain of Tlemcen, Bochum and Cairo. If you belong to the latter group, your heart must be pounding very hard these days. If only President Kufuor could take a cue from his Cameroonian counterpart, it may auger well for Ghana and Africa and reduce the incidence of hypertension in Ghana during the next few weeks.
Forward, Africa run!
Kweku Amoesi
kwamoesi@yahoo.com

Posted from  Ghana