And it all happened that Ghana’s FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi was voted onto the FIFA Executive Council, an enviable position in the football world.
Africa waited and the world waited, but Ghana waited more and alas, the votes were counted and Kwesi was victorious. Africa had won but Ghana were the greatest winners.
I quickly visited the internet to check the list of members on the FIFA Council and Kwesi’s name was there. I felt proud not only because Kwesi had won but I also saw the Ghana flag beside his name. National pride you may say.
I then took to social media to monitor the response. It was a thunderous response from the football family. Even his greatest critics were all compelled to applaud him for the success story. I then remembered a famous Akan adage ‘If God makes you a king, the ordinary man can do nothing.’
The name Kwesi Nyantakyi was the second most tweeted subject in the world and facebook was just buzzing. All singing the same song entitled Kwesi Nyantakyi. All hailed the new king.
Destiny may be delayed but surely not denied is an adage that has refused to fail its natural valuation. This brief statement sums up the pendulum life long story of Osman Kwesi Nyantakyi - the current Ghana FA President. Gone are the days when education was meant for the elite in the society. If others had, Nyantakyi did not.
Born to a religiously divided household (to a Muslim mother and a Christian father), Nyantakyi opted to follow the religion of his mother- Islam, from infancy.
His rise to fame is nothing short of miracles. He could not have imagined himself marauding the streets of Kabanye up and down in the early 70s becoming an international figure in the 21st century.
He grew up in Kabanye (a suburb in the Wa Municipality in the Upper West Region), attended Kanye Islamic School and Experimental Middle School at the basic level before moving to Wa Secondary School (WASEC).
At WASEC, he pursued General Agric for his O/ Level Certificate before upgrading to A/Level – studying Islam and business management.
While Nyantakyi was hailed in Wa as Wa Polo because of his midfielde exploits, little did he know that he was rising to be the Roger Miller of Africa football administration and eventually the Pele of world football. But the greates architect of life had designed it already.
Little did Kwesi realize his leadership qualities until elections and appointments were falling head over heel under him.
He won his contest for dinning hall prefect with ease. His appointment into the GMSA (Ghana Muslims students Association) was only a matter of time. He is a born leader.
His affiliation to the game is as inseparable as siamese twins. He played for Super Upper Babies as a midfielder in his early days and was always willing to adapt to different positions. He simply wanted to play and was not bad either. What happened to his hard tackling endeavours? Maybe that is what he is trying to curb.
Nyantakyi was then appointed a secretary of combined division one clubs in the region just to get an elite club in the region. This, he achieved 2 years later when Upper West Heroes qualified for the Ghana Premier League only to be relegated that same season. He however remained the club secretary for the foreseeable future.
With his experience, he was soon made the club’s Accra representative, the Chairman and the highest position as far as Upper West Heroes was concerned.
At that same time, the affable and industrious young man was seriously playing football for Akuafo Hall at the University of Ghana where he studied sociology.
He proceeded to the Ghana School of Law after his first degree before moving to the Paris Graduate School of Management in France for his MBA in Strategic Management Consultancy.
The aim of the young man from Wa was not just to read the books but to aspire to inspire a lot of young men in his community and beyond to reach higher heights.
Nyantakyi served as the secretary of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), ascended to the seat of the Vice Chairman of GHALCA which automatically made him the Vice President of the Ghana FA and eventually the FA President.
His destiny met him on 30 January 2005. He will rule not just Upper West football but Ghana football at large.
His rise to the top was however supersonic as he washed aside Ade Coker and co on the 30th December 2005 to become the 21st FA President since 1957. A man on a mission must have vision and Osman Kwesi Nyantakyi is not an exception.
He had behind-the-scene meeting with a veteran football administrator in the Brong Ahafo region and Wa All Stars was born.
In January 2006, Nyantakyi’s dream of owning a football club was achieved. He could, however, not have imagined qualifying to the Ghana Premier League at the first time of asking. Did he?
Guess for yourself especially with the way our Dvision One League is been run. Wa All Stars qualified for the national Premier League on the 27th of March 2007 after spanking Catholic Stars 3-0 in their last middle league game.
The ordinary “Upper Westerner” had no option but to love this man. He found the town’s position on the Ghanaian football map. Wa All Stars joined Northern clubs like Road Masters, Upper West Heroes and Real Tamale United to play in the league.
The big question is have we seen a better FA President than Osman Kwesi Nyantakyi? A big no! We are talking about an FA Boss whose tenure of office has enlightened the media, changed fans into supporters and the reverse is true, and made Ghanaians popular on the international platforms with many others.
In 2006, it was reported in the international media that, the best midfield quartet in the world were in the Black Stars set up. No wonder they never lost a game when all four were in attendance. Need I mention them? Stephen “Tornado” Appiah, Micheal Essien, Sulley Ali Muntari and the most unfortunate of them all, Laryea Kingston.
For more information about their potency ask Nigeria, the Czechs, the USA or even 2006 world champions. Had Ghana not qualified, would their names have been heard? I have my doubt.
Remember jubilant Ghanaians in Frankfurt in 2006, joyous fans in Johannesburg in 2010 and disheartened Ghanaians in Rio (Brazil 2014).
Statistics to me are not the defining moment of any sporting event, but they paint a brief picture of what is been described. Since joining Fifa, the 67 world cup qualifiers played by our senior national team spreads through 15 different FA Presidents. Nyantakyi’s era foresaw 30 out the 67.
See the table below. Points awarded because of opponents failing to honour or ineligibility has not been captured. MP MW MD ML GS GC PTS NYANTAKYI 30 20 4 6 62 17 64 THE REST 37 13 11 13 44 38 44 ALLTIME 67 33 15 19 106 55 108*
Humans are just mortals and Mr. Kwesi may be fallible as well, considering some call him President of Black Stars. But if his rise is to be believed, then the hot seat currently held by Issah Hayattou must be under threat.
Nyantakyi’s ascension to the FIFA Council seat is an indication of blessing and what the omnipotent God intends to do with him.
From the Secretary of Upper West Heroes to the Bankroller of the club through to owning Wa All Stars to the Secretary of GHALCA, emerging with the title of Vice Chairman to the Vice President of the Ghana FA, penetrating through CAF as an Executive Committee member to the President of WAFU Zone B and finally the FIFA Executive Council is a demonstration of more things to come.
Maybe, just maybe, a Ghanaian will soon rule world football as Kofi Annan ruled world politic as the UN Secretary General.
By: Sheikh Tophic Sienu @desheikh1 on twitter