Renowned football administrator, Assad Mallah, has touched on the vexed issue of renaming of the Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast stadia after some personalities, and suggested that the stadia revert to their old names.

Mr Mallah, a patron of Kumasi Asante Kotoko and the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), said sports administrator, Ohene Djan, and footballers Baba Yara and Robert Mensah were all great in their fields but should not be singled out for such outstanding honours.

The Accra Stadium was named after Ohene Djan, while the Kumasi and Cape Coast stadia were named after former Black Stars winger, Baba Yara, and goalkeeper Robert Mensah respectively.

"I beg to argue that there were equally good or better footballers during their era and even after them. Permit me to name just a few from among the many: E.C: Briandt, C.K. Gyamfi, Aggrey Fynn, Edward Acquah, Addo Odametey, Wilberforce Mfum, Dodoo Ankrah, Ofei Dodoo, Rev. Osei Kofi, Sunday Ibrahim, Kofi Bruce, Yaw Sam, Mohammed Polo, Abdul Razak, Kwasi Owusu and Dan Owusu, Opoku Afriyie, Isaac Paha, Joseph Carr, Opoku Nti, Abedi Pele, Anthony Yeboah and even some of the members of the present Black Stars squad who made us so proud at the last World Cup," Mr Mallah said in a statement that appealed to the president for consideration.

"I feel that these and the many others who have worked tirelessly to lift high the flag of the country in the sports arena have been betrayed by the naming of the stadia after the two," he added.

Despite acknowledging the contribution of Ohene Djan to sports administration in the country, he said others were selfless and highly ranked.

"While acknowledging Ohene Djan as a good sports administrator, we should not forget that he was a civil servant doing his duty with a salary.

"Many administrators such as H.P. Nyemitei, Lawton Ackah-Yensu, Sam Otchere, S.K Mainoo, and others who came after him managed to lead our sportsmen and sportswomen to chalk up some laurels for the country under less favourable economic and political situations. Why the stadium in the capital would be named after one man leaving out the many others beats my imagination," he said.

Mr Mallah, who has decades of association with football, said he could, however, not object to the naming of the Kaneshie Sports Complex after Azumah Nelson "because he fought alone" to make Ghana proud, adding that, "after all, football is a team sport and 11 or more men will bring the glory to the land".

"May I humbly suggest to you to abolish the naming of these stadia after these individuals and revert to their former names," he appealed to the president.



Source: Daily Graphic