John Paintsil Has Questionable Moral Character- Pressure Group
Pressure group Save Ghana Football has described former West Ham player John Paintsil as a person of questionable character in a move to get his appointment as an assistant coach of the Black Stars annulled by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
In a statement, the group called on the government and the Minister of Youth and Sports to scrutinize the appointment, adding it lacks the requisite standards to change the country’s fortunes in football.
According to them, the appointment “smack of lack of due diligence or complete disregard for due process by the appointment committee and the GFA in its entirety”.
They premised their statement on a controversy surrounding the former Ghana international’s CAF licence A certificate.
“While we respect Paintsil for his service to our national teams as a former player, it is on public record that Paintsil presented a fake certificate to appear he had a CAF licence A certificate to qualify him to coach Legon Cities in 2019, when he did not have. This, we believe, the current GFA Technical Director, is well aware.”
After escaping the disciplinary measures for his action, the group believes he “should not escape the moral responsibility”.
“We are of the strongest view that a person of such questionable moral character cannot occupy such a high national office of symbolic importance, and he is not good enough for the brand.”
John Painstil played for Fulham, West Ham United, and Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa before hanging his boots after featuring in two FIFA World Cup tournaments for Ghana and winning 89 caps.
The former Berekum Arsenal and Liberty Professionals player is a former assistant coach at Kaizer Chiefs and a CAF Licence B holder.
He was named among three backroom staff of Coach Otto Addo who was recently appointed to manage the Black Stars, joining Joseph Laumann and Fatau Dada as assistant coaches.
Laumann, a UEFA pro-licence holder, previously played in Cyprus, Germany, and Vietnam. In coaching, he has had stints with Standard Liege, VfL Bochum, and Barnsley in the English championship.
Fatau Dauda, a former goalkeeper of Voradep, Okwahu United, AshantiGold and Orlando Pirates, represented Ghana 23 times and featured in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
