There was certainly an air of inevitability surrounding Milo’s eventual dismissal even before he stepped foot in the country for his second reign as boss of the Black Stars.
Among the plethora of issues against his appointment, his strange departure as Black Stars coach years ago still had a sour taste in the mouths of many Ghanaians.
The Serbian after leading Ghana to a historic quarter-final finish at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa left unceremoniously, only for him to return a decade later with the task of securing qualification to the World Cup and leading the charge for a fifth AFCON trophy.
An unconvincing 1-0 win over South Africa to secure a playoffs berth, in particular, showed that the gaffer had not moved on from his conservative coaching philosophy.
A philosophy and style that relied heavily on the services of Asamoah Gyan and a ‘Park the Bus’ defensive approach to shut down opponents.
That disjointed performance against South Africa was followed by a 3-0 humbling at the hands of soon to be dethroned African champions, Algeria, confirming the suspicion of most Ghanaians that a disappointing campaign was on the horizon.
The Black Stars were defeated 3-0 in their warm up game against Algeria
As feared, the Stars were sent packing, embarrassingly, following defeats to Morocco and Comoros as well as a draw with Gabon.
A point from 9 was certainly one of the nation’s worst displays at the continental showpiece and many would have been shocked to witness Milo see out his 1 year contract with the Stars.
So as expected he was dismissed officially last night, bringing to an end a 3 month union with the Serbian.
The “Milo- van” has left but there are more prominent issues
Even before holding his last press conference for the Black Stars, many expected Milovan to be used as a scapegoat for the enormous issues holding back the progress of the Stars.
Milovan Rajevac was sacked yesterday after just three months into his second reign
The Football Association has performed the most easiest tasks by dismissing the head coach and reconstituting a new management committee, but there are more prominent issues to be discussed with regards to the national team.
The need for a cultural shift
For years, the Football Association has adopted the short term approach, planning for next AFCON and World qualifiers or friendly games.
But as has been evident, the short term approach has not been efficient, to say the least, and there is the need to adopt a long term solution.
Former Black Stars midfielder, Agyemang-Badu perfectly summarizes the gospel for a change by indicating:
Former Black Stars midfielder Agyemang Badu has called for a radical change in approach
“The team has collapsed. Let’s go for a development plan.
“If we qualify for the World Cup, fine. If we don’t, we shouldn’t be worried. Let’s build from scratch and stop comparing the past teams with the current one. If we keep relying on the old team, then we have a long way to go.”
While qualifying for the biggest competition in the world would be beneficial to the Stars, there are fears that it will once again dilute the importance of more pressing matters.
It is no surprise that many Ghanaians have called for a forfeit of the World Cup qualifiers and a full concentration on developing a better plan for the Black Stars.
A long term development plan that will ensure a smooth transition from the youth teams to the national teams, better scouting policies and a better quota system for local based players.
Transition to the Stars
Since Daniel Agyei, Samuel Inkom, Jonathan Mensah, Andre Ayew, and Dominic Adiyiah were included in the squad for the 2010 World Cup, chances have not been at a premium for most juvenile boys in the national team.
On occasions where they have received call ups, they have only had the opportunity to spectate on the substitute bench.
Fatawu Issahaku, who was influential in the U-20’s recent triumph on the continent was among two players, alongside Philemon Baffour, to have been called up for the AFCON tournament, but was not handed his full AFCON debut until the third game.
Fatawu Issahaku had limited opportunities but impressed in his full AFCON debut against Comoros
To provide evidence of the quality of youth players available, the Dreams FC playmaker delivered an impressive performance against Comoros to leave many wondering why he had not been included in the starting lineups of the first two games.
There exists much potential in the juvenile teams, and a plan needs to be formulated to ensure they are handed more opportunities in the Black Stars.
Unsuccessful scouting activities
The Black Stars have resorted to expensive and almost ‘unfruitful’ scouting activities around the globe.
Coaches of the national team on a regular basis travel to scout for the best players, but it is sad to note that there exists huge holes in the national team that have not been patched up.
Since the retirement of Richard Kingston and the brief spell of Adam Kwarasey, only Richard Ofori has come closer to securing the status as first team goalkeeper.
But the player’s absence has caused a huge problem, as several goalkeepers have failed woefully in an attempt to be the no.1 choice.
The country had no other choice than to settle for a lower division goalkeeper for the Nations Cup, who, unsurprisingly, on the biggest stage did nothing to justify his call up to the team.
More importantly there exists the issue of finding a replacement for Asamoah Gyan.
Despite the huge spending on scouting activities, no replacement has been found for Ghana’s all time scorer, and thus raises concerns on the purpose of this project.
Obviously, the nature of the scouting activities need to be revised, with priority being given the youth players and the local based players also.
Quota system for local players
Again, Fataw Issahaku’s performance in his brief spell against Comoros underlined the need to provide opportunities for local players.
Hearts of Oak goalkeeper, Richard Attah, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and Philemon Baffour of Dreams FC, David Abagna of RTU and Maxwell Abbey-Quaye of Great Olympics, were selected as part of the squad but had little opportunity to impress.
Particularly, David Abagna and Abbey Quaye were handed no opportunities to prove their worth despite the struggles of the Stars’ attackers in Cameroon.
Both players had scored 8 and 7 goals respectively in the first half of the Ghana Premier League season, with the former impressing in RTU’s return to the top flight.
Abagana who has been prolific in the local league could break into the starting line up
As part of a long term development plan, there needs to be a fair quota system that will guarantee local players spots in the national teams as well as a clear shot at being named in starting line ups based on performance.
Time to stop oiling a money making machine
Perhaps, the time has come for a proper inquest into the remuneration of the Black Stars.
The focus, of course, wouldn’t be to deny any of the players bonuses or allowances for their service, but to stop oiling a money making machine and rearrange misplaced priorities.
Since the 2014 incident at the World Cup, it has been common knowledge that bonuses have become a driving factor for the wearing of the national shirt.
The Stars on a number of occasions have received ridiculous bonuses, with the recent one being the most absurd of all.
Despite putting up a poor showing at their first two games at the tournament, the team was set to receive $30K if they defeated Comoros and qualified for the knockout stages, per the agreement between the players and the Football Association.
Without a doubt, an end should be put to this as we seek a long term solution.
Perhaps we would be better off adopting the suggestion of Dr Kofi Asafo Adjei, who was a member of the CAN 2008 LOC in Kumasi about handing out bonuses only when tournaments are won.
“We should stop paying appearance fees for the team; I don’t understand where that thing is coming from, he argued.
“Winning bonus and qualification bonus should all be scrapped. That should stop. I was there in 1982 when Ghana won its fourth Nations Cup with the minimum amount of money. A country that by 1984 won the Nations cup four times and been to the finals one three more occasions.
“Out of thirteen Nations Cup competitions we had been to the finals seven times with little money. So why would such a nation then reward players for winning a match at the Nations Cup, or qualifying from the group stage of the Nations Cup? That country should reward people who actually win the trophy,” he said.
Solutions needed now more than ever
With a reunion of rivalries with old foes, Nigeria, on the horizon, the Black Stars will have a new coach within the next few days.
The likes of Otto Addo and Ibrahim Tanko have been mooted for the position, but regardless of who takes over the role and what happens in the two legged tie, the Association’s approach needs to change.
The short-termism culture needs to be abolished as soon as possible, and a more visionary and sustainable plan adopted to ensure the Stars reclaim its status as one of the powerhouses on the continent.
