Dzamefe Report Analysis: Ball boy vs equipment officer vs $100K
Source: Ghana/Joy Sports/Gary Al-SmithDate: 26-06-2015 Time: 08:06:51:pm
This third instalment of the multi-part series was supposed to be about Samuel Inkoom, as was promised at end of Part 2, but a trending issue has necessitated this post. The episode on Samuel Inkoom will, instead, be part four.
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The BBC website's headline on Thursday was: "Ghana 'ball boy' receives same fee as players at 2014 World Cup."
It was very inaccurate as it misrepresented the facts, but you cannot blame them. They sourced their primary info from the report of the Dzamefe Commission, who must take blame for the confusion.
By the end of this article the reason would be clear.
A few hours before the BBC published their piece, I'd been on the Joy Midday News with the anchor, Francis Abban. We were continuing the serialization of the 396-paged report, which we'd started two days prior.
On this occasion, we'd decided to touch on the trending topic that was Ishmael Hamidu (whose name the report spelled 'Ismail Hamidu'), aka the ball boy.
Regrettably - and to my utmost shame - I failed to point out to listeners that there was a fundamental difference between a ball boy and an equipment manager.
And in so doing, most probably fueled the belief that Hamidu's duty in the Black Stars is useless.
That was poor form on my part.
How did his name come up?
Hamidu's name is first mentioned on page 50 of the report, when the commission established the members of the Black Stars technical team who took $100,000 each in appearance fees.
This appearance fee was part of the $4 million (not $3 million as widely reported) that was airlifted to Brazil on the night of 25th June, 2014 before Ghana's second World Cup match with Portugal.
How many people got the $100,000?
40 people got $100,000 each in appearance fees. These were the 23 players, seven management members, and 10 other technical team members.
Ishmael was listed one of the technical team members.
What's the correct term for his job?
In advanced jurisdictions, Hamidu (right, above) is known as a kit man.
But in Ghana, we call the Black Stars kitman/equipment officer ‘ball boy’ because the current role of managing the team’s apparel, travel materials and so on from the archaic traditional role of catching and throwing balls from the touchline.
Is the equipment officer so important to have earned $100,000? The simple answer, in my opinion, is no. But that's not the point of this article.
For some more education, the following insights were given by Tamimu Issah, editor of the GFA's official newspaper. Issah took time to write the following today on his Facebook page. Read on:
Tamimu Issah's take:
"The name Ishmael Hamidu, which many have been made to erroneously believe is the ball boy of the Black Stars, has been trending on traditional and new media since yesterday for all the wrong reasons.
Even the BBC and other international media have done stories on him.
Ishmael has been, mocked, ridiculed, insulted and humiliated in Ghana and abroad.
His crime?
Because the Brazil 2014 World Cup Commission of Inquiry says he earned $100,000 US Dollars for just catching and throwing balls in his capacity as BALL BOY for the Black Stars.
Is he the ball boy?
No! Absolutely not. And there is no such position as ball boy in the Black Stars or any national team set up.
His official position is the equipment officer and his job schedule is not to catch and throw balls as the world has been mischievously made to believe.
What does he do?
I have had the experience and privilege of working with the Black Stars and other national teams at tournaments and I can state unequivocally that the equipment officer plays one of the most pivotal behind-the-scene roles in the Black Stars.
It is mischievous, misleading and demeaning for anybody to limit his role to what is seen during training "as just catching and throwing" balls. In fact, other members of the technical team also "catch and throw balls" during training.
Ishmael, the equipment officer the world is mocking, is in charge of sorting and maintaining the team's equipment such as training wear, leisure wear, boots and match-day kits. He sorts by providing the right colour blend for leisure and training and on match days.
He maintains by visiting every delegation member's room and collecting their wears for laundry after training and match days. Ishmael's role as equipment officer prior to match days and on match days are even more crucial.
Prior to match days, he is responsible for sorting out the right jersey size for each player and also ensures that correct names and numbers are embossed on each jersey. He dares not make a mistake in this important task.
The equipment officer is also one of those who attend the match coordinating meeting; what we normally call pre-match meeting in Ghana. He goes there to display the team's colours for the day.
On match days, he leaves for the stadium at least two hours before the team arrives. He goes there early to arrange every player's kit and boots in the dressing room for TV footage.
During the match, the equipment officer - the man whose role the Commission has ridiculed, is one of those allowed to sit on the bench. In fact, some members of the technical team are not accredited to even sit on the team's bench during matches but CAF and FIFA understand the role of the equipment officer so Ishmael Hamidu does sit on the bench during matches.
His role on the bench? When something goes wrong with a player's apparel, he is responsible for replacement. And when a player is substituted, he provides the right apparel for the player off.
After the match, he goes round again and collects all the team's equipment. And during travels, it is the equipment officer who arranges and parks all the team's luggages - sometimes over 70 luggages.
The $100,000
Many have questioned why a "ball boy" should be paid such a huge amount of money. Truly, it sounds outrageous to pay a "mere ball boy" (as the world has been made to believe) that kind of money, but the fact is that he is not a ball boy.
Even with his properly defined roles above, some may still argue that $100,000 dollars is still unreasonable.......but that is another argument.
My issue is why did the Commission single out Ishmael Hamidu for this humiliation? In their report, they labelled him correctly as equipment officer, yet they mocked him with a "ball boy" in quotes.
Why?
And some journalists who have followed the team for so long, and who ought to know better are championing the sickening ridicule of somebody who genuinely earned his money approved by the Cabinet of the Government of Ghana.
You may disagree with the quantum of money he was paid, but to deliberately reduce his job description just to create public disaffection for the man is unacceptable.
In any serious national team and professional football club, the role of the kitman; what we call here the equipment officer, is vital. It is as pivotal as any member of the technical team. The kitman, together with other staff, play important roles towards the success of a football team. These roles are not normally seen; hence the label backroom staff.
The Black Stars have always had an equipment officer, and they have always been paid appearance fees.
Certainly, somebody has to be the equipment officer for the Black Stars. At this moment, it is Mr Ishmael Hamidu who is the "lucky" one serving in that capacity.
It is unfair to demean his role and subject him to this undeserved public ridicule."
Did he deserve the amount?
Although I fully agree that the commission's report misrepresents Hamidu's job description and that most of the media commentary has been demeaning to his hard work, I stand by my belief that the $100,000 offered him as World Cup appearance fee was too much.
As Tamimu explains, it is crucial to differentiate Hamidu's role. He is a much-needed component of the team setup. But, I repeat, the $100,000 was too much.
And that is why according to the Dzamefe report (p46) “it is outrageous for the equipment officer (ball boy) for example to be categorized under technical team to receive $100,000 appearance fee.”
Speaking of the report, I cannot fathom why they even put "ball boy" there in the first place. It was completely unnecessary, and for a panel that has, especially, Moses Foh-Amoaning - a man of impeccable sporting credentials - that is a surprise.
SOURCE- MYJOYONLINE.COM
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