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Neequaye’s GBA exit …What might have caused it?
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AN announcement from the communication team of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) informing stakeholders about the resignation of its president, Mr Abraham Kotei Neequaye has got fans thinking.
The resignation in itself is not a big issue.
Fact is, under the current circumstances, it may seem the best decision by Mr Neequaye who has supervised the most tumultuous boxing era in Ghana.
That is not to suggest that previous leaders of the association were saints; however, the level of acrimony under this administration is unprecedented.
Lucky to have witnessed the era of Mr Nii Quaye Mensah, Mr Moses Foh-Amoaning, Mr Samir Captan, Mr Peter Zwennes; one can confidently say the scene has never been that electric.
But what exists now is nothing short of a life in the boxing ring.
Wednesday’s announcement of an indication to resign yesterday (Friday, June 27) also got a few tongues wiggling with the timing.
Seeming to have brave the odds to such a crucial time that the association was preparing for its Elective Congress to put in place a new executive team; and Neequaye himself sounding confident of retaining his seat for another term, only to drop his guard last minute clearly suggests that there is more beyond what the eye can see.
Evidently, there is fire on the GBA’s corridors of power.
He has cited personal reasons for the decision but that has also sent journalists on a wild goose chase, finding anything available that is related to boxing to connect.
It has also left the Pandora’s Box opened with all manner of reasons flying around the media space.
A section of the media have tried to link the decision to findings and recommendation by a ministerial committee formed to probe the circumstances under which a Nigerian boxer died in Ghana during a fight sanctioned by the GBA.
Others are of the opinion that the embattled GBA boss was only trying to face the realities of the time.
This has come from a school of thought that he has realised he stands no chance in the impending election due to the bad blood between him and a huge number of stakeholders of the sport.
A few have managed to introduce some political theatrics into the Neequaye resignation drama, citing tensions between him and some party big wigs including the Minister of Sports and Recreation.
These are interesting times for the boxing fraternity.
But it’s amazing how time flies and how a lot of things can change with time.
Four or so years ago when Mr Peter Zwennes decided to step down as GBA boss, Neequaye was deemed the Messiah to take the sport to a new level.
He gained the support of these stakeholders who have become sworn enemies and was able to win against some heavyweights including a former promoter, Mr Henry Manly Spain.
The coaches, promoters, boxers, referees and other identifiable groups sang his praise but how all of these changed in less than a year remains a mystery.
Just after a year, key members of his executives confided in friends about contesting their president who they claimed to be going ‘out of order.’
Aside the verbal exchanges, other issues have gone to court for interpretation but all these moves are yet to restore peace and sanity in the GBA.
Stakeholders planning to shock Neequaye at the polls may be left stunned by the decision to bow out at the 11th round.
It is the hope of all that the next elected president can restore the peace and unity the GBA enjoyed and bring the stakeholders together.
But, however one looks at it, the history of the GBA would be incomplete without the strides of Neequaye whose tenure replicated the Foh-Amoaning’s Mortein Boxing League with what came to be known as the Imax Boxing League which also came with its own stories and challenges to promoters.
By Andrew Nortey
Students and management staff were joined by keep fit enthusiasts to partake in the 2026 edition of the Street Academy annual health walk held last Saturday.
It was held on the theme: “Feet on the Street, Hope in Motion.”
The event also brought opinion leaders from some of the Ga communities, sports men and women including former world boxing champion, Joseph Agbeko, and children from the academy and neighbouring communities.
The event was originally slated for July 18 but postponed due to President John Dramani Mahama’s declaration of July 17-18 as National Clean-up Day.
That development did not affect the event in any way as participants, mostly cladded in yellow outfits, turned up in their numbers.
Spurred on by brass band music, the walk went through some of the principal streets of the capital, drawing more crowds from the communities it went through before returning to the Accra Arts Centre, the starting point.
Participants then went through another exhaustive aerobic session before they were refreshed.
Addressing the participants, Dr Ataa Lartey, the Founder and Executive Director of the Academy, commended them for turning out in their numbers for the walk, which he described as an event to enable the children and other guests to exercise.
Secondly, the event, he stated, was also to raise awareness about the plight of needy and underprivileged children, promote healthy living, and advocate the importance of basic education.
By Spectator Sports Reporter
Usually, when a coach is tasked to build a formidable national team for a major tournament, he does so with the best players available to him, with a special focus on local talents.
But where such local talents are not available or are unconvincing, the coach is allowed to supplement with foreign based players.
In this case, these players scouted beyond the borders of the country must be in top form and prove beyond reasonable doubt that they are far better than the locals.
Again, such players must also show some commitment and dedication to the national call.
A coach can however, decide to ignore this system in cases where there is insufficient time for the exercise, when there is a policy that forbids him from inviting certain crop of players, or if he finds himself in a position where he has no say on the players selected for him to use.
Recently, Coach Maxwell Konadu was tasked to build a Black Satellites team for the ongoing WAFU B U-20 championship in Cote d’Ivoire, a tournament which also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 Africa U-20 Championship which Ghana is hosting.
With that status, the Black Satellites become automatic candidates and rightfully, the focus should have been on a team to be groomed for the ultimate.
The sub-regional tournament did not actually oblige Konadu to rely on foreign based players, most of who are on pre-season assignments with their respective clubs.
Also, Konadu was under no misperception about quotas to allot local or foreign based players. It was very clear that the tourney was for the locals.
With this background, he is believed to have selected the players that formed the team that represented Ghana at the championship.
Sadly, Konadu and his boys disappointed woefully at the championship, failing to march his words against performance on the field.
Exiting just after the group stage came with little surprise. That has been the pattern for the national juvenile teams in their respective championships for now.
What left tongues wagging, however, was Konadu’s claim that lessons from the championship would help build a “stronger and more competitive squad for next year’s TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.”
The confusion lied in his admission that “the squad which competed in Côte d’Ivoire is unlikely to be the same one that represents Ghana at the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.”
It would have made a lot of sense to rather build a team that uses the WAFU B Championships as a platform to prepare for the main championship next year, than selecting a team that in his own words is unlikely to compete.
This is a very common feature in other jurisdictions. The English FA, for instance, would have used an Under-18 team for the WAFU B, knowing the impact that experience would have on the team.
So clearly, the experience and lessons Konadu spoke about would be non-existent and would not help the team in anyway because if he happened to be in charge of the Ghana 2027 championship team, he would be supervising an entirely new team.
From where I sit, Konadu and whoever played any role in assembling this team got everything wrong and must be reminded that there would be no assurances that the next team would excel in the championship.
By Andrew Nortey
