<<Print>>

The head of a three-man body probing Ghana�s World Cup fiasco said football officials were not fair to the dismissed coach because they failed to fulfill their promise. The chairman of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate Ghana's debacle in the 2014 Fifa World Cup believes sacked coach Kwesi Appiah was given a raw deal. Justice Senyo Dzamefe said that the ex-Ghana coach cannot be faulted in any way for Ghana�s poor showing at the Mundial following a series of revelation at its hearing Thursday. Appiah told the Commission he did everything in his capacity to control the players upon several empty-promises were given by FA officials, but proved futile. The chairman said the 54-year-old coach was innocent and was used as a scapegoat if his testimony depicts a true reflection of what transpired in camp before, during and after Ghana's group games. �From what I am hearing, if it is true, I don� t think we [Ghana] have been fair to coach Kwesi Appiah,� Justice Dzamefe said at the Commission�s hearing when Appiah made an appearance. �Imagine you have a child you have promised to give a phone and the child keeps asking you �daddy when is the phone coming?� And you keep saying �tomorrow, tomorrow�, how will he trust you.� He added: �Mr. [Kwesi] Appiah, I think we worried you. Players who were supposed to play a game and carry out instructions on the field had $100, 000 in their changing room. �I really empathise with you. We really worried you. The system gave you problems. So what do you expect the coach to do in such a situation? Some were fighting, some were counting money and others didn�t even sleep,� Justice Dzamefe recalled. �Coach, I don�t blame you. This commission will make sure this never happens again and that this issue of cash with our national teams is gone. Maybe if you will see any cash you will come back to Ghana to see it. �All money issues will be sorted here in Ghana before the team leaves,� the judge pointed out ahead of their recommendations to the President who set up the Commission after a woeful World Cup campaign in Brazil. Appiah was sacked by the Ghana Football Association in September after his side's abysmal performance in the World Cup.