🚨Many seem shocked at the seeming pro-Ghana FA views that former Black Stars defender John Painstil (JP) espoused last night on @[email protected].

• Some context for non-Akan speakers and non-Ghanaian followers: in the attached clip, JP downplays the importance of a demonstration against the Ghana FA held on Valentine's Day. The #SaveGhanaFootballDemo was to protest the worsening state of our football, and to proffer solutions to Parliament that, if implemented, could help make Ghana football attractive and beneficial to all again.

JP also says in the video that allegations of nepotism in national team callups (especially at U17 and U20) are baseless and just hearsay.

Why are we shocked at JP? Don't be; he has held this view for a long time.

• Myself, John, @[email protected] and a few other colleagues have been board members of the annual Ghana Football Awards (@[email protected]) since 2018. We've had tens of brainstorming sessions about the state of Ghana's youth football, the broken football conveyor belt and how to make it better, as we debated each year's best players and admins deserving of the awards.

• One thing has been consistent about John: he has been always held the view that 'things are not as bad as we make it seem'. Each one of us has views shaped by personal experiences, and I do not know why JP doesn't think Ghana deserves better football administration than what we've had.

But there's one thing I know.

• Exactly a year ago this week (10 Feb, 2023), former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo – who previously never saw the need to publicly speak up on the worsening state of the economy – shocked most of us when she joined demonstrators to protest the government's plans to include pensioner bondholders in the debt restructuring program.

Aunt Sophia, in a later interview with Bola Ray, explained that she joined the movement 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 by that government policy. (Ref: https://bit.ly/SophiaComplains & https://bit.ly/SophiaDemonstr…)

• Her action (and prior inaction) illustrates why those with a voice should not wait until people close to us are affected by floundering leadership before we speak; it may be too late.

• Therefore, the message to Mr Painstil and others who think Ghana football is not in such dire straits, and that the rest of us talk too much, is obvious: your Sophia Akuffo moment is Coming Soon, on VCD and DVD.

As I always say, e go reach everybody.

#SaveGhanaFootball