A Ghanian sports journalist, Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo, says Nigeria is not a model for Ghanaians to look up to when it comes to sports.
The journalist who made this known in a Facebook post on Sunday was reacting to the disqualification of the Ghanian team from the Commonwealth Games men’s 4x100m final following a technical blunder.
Team Ghana had, at the last minute, made a decision to rest an athlete Joseph Paul Amoah on the anchor leg. However, the coaches of the team did not inform race officials an hour to the race, as the rules require.
Consequently, just before the race, it was Amoah’s name that flashed on the screen, and not his replacement, Abdul Rasheed Sameenu, who was actually on the track.
The technical violation led to the disqualification of the team, and Team Gambia subsequently took the place of Ghana in the final men’s race.
At the end of the games on Monday, Ghana finished 28th with five medals—two Silver and three Bronze. On the other hand, Nigeria, with only 50 athletes, was in the 7th place with 35 medals—12 Gold, 9 Silver and 14 Bronze.
Nigeria won the 4x100m women’s relay race while Ghana finished 7th. In long jump, Nigeria’s Ese Brume won the gold and Ghana’s Deborah Acquah won the bronze medal.
Knocking fellow compatriots who urged Ghanaian sportsmen to learn from Nigeria given the feats pulled by Nigerian athletes in the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom, Fentuo said “there’s absolutely nothing to learn from them.”
Read his full post below.
“Nigeria winning big at these Commonwealth Games and I see Ghanaians saying we should learn from them.
“There’s absolutely nothing to learn from them. I speak to their athletes, and journalists—they probably have it worse than us. It’s sheer grit that’s pushing them.
“In fact, at these very games, Nigeria pulled a similar gaffe to what happened to Ghana’s team on Saturday. Paralympic gold medalist Latifat Tijani and Onyinyechi Gold Mark were disqualified from the women’s lightweight competition due to a late arrival to a kit check. Imagine.
“This does not in any fact justify our shambolic incompetence from yesterday. I am just saying if we are looking to better systems, Nigeria isn’t where to look.”
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