As expected, there is the conventional “mad rush” to occupy the vacant post vacated by Serb Milovan Rajevac who signed for Saudi club-side Al Ahli of Jeddah. Why the rush? The Black Stars you should know by now is high on quality and whoever takes charge is sure to as usual enrich his Curriculum Vitae in coaching, just as Djukovic and Milovan have successfully done. The bare facts of this whole episode as it stands now are that, the fire of whether or not the Stars need a local or expatriate coach has been rekindled and might burn till the Ghana Football Association (GFA) appoints, I dare say, yet another expatriate coach as things stand now from the posturing of the FA. In what looks to be the first sign of handing the job to another expatriate, the Vice-President of the GFA, Mr. Fred Crentsil, has fired one bullet in respect of his statement that his outfit was going to put competence ahead of nationality in the search for a new coach. He confirms the hunt has begun in respect of a new coach saying, “Indeed the search for a new coach has begun and we are looking for a competent coach to replace Milovan Rajevac and I know with the experience we have we will appoint somebody on merit.” Quick to add that, “No one is saying we don’t like Ghanaian coaches. All we are looking for is competency. The colour of the next coach is not important but how best he can do the job is important. The issue of black or white coach should be put aside.” Hm! Interesting comments premised on competency – the ability as it were to deliver results with every Black Stars outing, and I guess win significant laurels with the Stars. Could all of this talk about competence be to stifle queries about why a Black Coach cannot be appointed? The FA by their position on the new head effectively leads to leaving us with the excuse of whoever is appointed is more competent comparative to whichever local coach puts himself up for the very juicy and highly rewarding post. The local coaches I can say have gone past the times when they were fit only to occupy the assistant coach’s role. Sellas after a long stint understudying expatriates discharged himself with distinction and was duly decorated in gold after leading Ghana to her first gold in a long while. The FA had promised that, local coaches like Sellas would rise up the ranks in their coaching endeavour with the FA and you and I know that, the pinnacle of leading Ghanaian football teams is to head the technical bench of the Black Stars. David Duncan of Ashantigold, Herbert Addo of defending league champions, Aduana Stars and Sellas Tetteh must all put in their CVs when time is due and more importantly avoid withdrawing their application as has been the case in times past. The analogy about the FA choosing a coach for the players I think should not arise, our players in the team, most of whom are foreign based, know too well how to deal with anyone especially so because these guys are professional. Their contribution in all of this is to at least put on record that they support one of their own, for the simple reason that there is an element of shared interest between the players and local coaches who will ultimately do all it takes to see to it that the team succeeds. That is not to suggest that the many expatriate coaches have not shared our vision. Indeed they have, but to what extent? Local coaches I reiterate will give the now glamorous and much sought after job their best shot. That I can tell without fear of contradiction. Talking about the vacant post been a much sought after one, reports on the internet that there is a mad rush for the Stars job with over 20 European coaches having put in their CVs just 24 hours after the GFA declared the position vacant tells it all. There is not much twiddling to do with a Stars team that has shown unity of purpose and amazing composure whenever they came out of the tunnel in the national colours. For long we have haboured the neo-colonial mentality that only the expatriates can get the best out of the team. We have played the spring board on which several coaches have bounced to other lucrative deals elsewhere. Baretto - Maritimo (Portugal), Djukovic to the U-21 side of China, Le Roy to the Omani national team and now Milo to Saudi side Al Ahli. At least if as a springboard ever again, let us do so for one of our own, as the benefits accrued thereof inures directly or otherwise to the growth of Ghana football. The FA has done well with respect to adding value to the Sellas brand, resulting in a Rwandan job. The GFA in all of this must be highly commended for the effective managerial attitude they employed in dealing with the Black Stars. Players’ monies with respect to bonuses and air fares have been duly sorted out whenever they came down, an unwavering support extended to expatriate coaches and more importantly, the value in terms of sponsorship and branding they have brought to the team. With respect to the argument that local coaches will have a hard time instilling discipline into a team of predominantly foreign players, I guess proponents in this school of thought are only crying over a non-existent issue. Respect is reciprocal and would be accorded where due. The players are thinking beings who know right from wrong. Let us just be fair to the character and values these men have as Ghanaians. An article titled, “I told you so,” I guess would not be out of place especially after the GFA appoints the new expatriate superstar who “fathers” the “orphaned” Black Stars team. My opinion as to why the FA has dodged local coaches is simple. They will have to pay whoever it is a whooping sum of money, that lucky man is going to trot the globe watching Black Stars players and receive several perks that come with the job. These and others may be reasons why the FA had rather they handed to an expatriate. But as Ghanaians, we must rise up in some mass action, gather signatures in support of Ghanaians and petition ALL stakeholders within the football fraternity, club owners, media etc. to back the fact that a foreign coach is not fit only for assistant and interim roles and make strong statement, Let’s hand them the substantive role NOW! Kenako, Its Time For Local Coaches. Would not be bad. The Stars coaching job has become a wound that the FA finds convenient bandaging every time it gets bruised. There is the need to undertake a surgery on the wound that is bruised every 24 months and the time is Now! But sincerely, I hope I never live to write my article titled, “I told you so,” not now or after the FA appoints. By Shaban Barani Alpha The writer is a sorts journalist with the New Crusading Guide newspaper