The news that Ghana’s recently crowned footballer of the year, Eric Bekoe of Kumasi Asante Kotoko fame, is gallivanting in Europe looking for a professional contract is disturbing to say the least. I dare say the young man is falling into a similar trap by some Ghanaian budding stars whose craze for a stint in Europe, blinded them into taking hasty decisions.

Their full potentials were never realised and their ambition to make it in football ended in frustration.If you are that good, you have to be invited for medicals and not you chasing clubs for a deal.This is not right and depicts some sort of uncalled for desperation when you are a local“champion”.

Since his transfer from Kpandu Heart of Lions to Asante Kotoko last season, Eric Bekoe has shown a lot of striking power and has won national recognition as member of the local Black Stars that qualified for the maiden Cup of Nations for home based players. Indeed he is also member of Serbian coach Milovan Rajovac’s squad for the World Cup qualifiers.

It is my considered opinion that currently Bekoe has a lot of rough edges to be sharpened and if he is patient enough I am convinced the Black Stars hectic World Cup campaign plus Asante Kotoko’s champions’ league programme next year would sharpen him enough to increase his value on the football market in the future. He wouldn’t need to be chasing clubs in Europe they would rather be chasing him. Mark my words.

I believe it is time our football managers, especially club officials sought the future of these young footballers. They must be made aware of the implications of rushing to Europe when not fully matured and are most likely to warm the benches. If club officials stop the parochial thinking of the short term benefits to be accrued from the transfer fees, that in most cases are not properly accounted for anyway, Ghana could soon produce on the international scene replicas of real quality players like the Abedi Peles, Essiens, Anthony Yeboahs, and Sulley Muntaris considering the array of talents abounding in the country. Anthony Yeboah and Co. bid their time and they made it big at the right time.

The future is really bright for our footballers and all they need is to hasten slowly. Luckily the Football Association has come out with a lot of incentive packages to encourage young talents to reach for the top and the coming season should be exciting. The annual awards to honour talented players would definitely inspire all to catch the eyes of the selectors. It is however hoped that those so honoured, would build on their reputation and not fade away so soon like most of their predecessors.

For example not much has been heard of Kwaku Essien, who was voted best footballer last year. One thought that with his great potential he would have been featuring for the Black Stars by now. Is it that the Israeli league where he is featuring is not competitive enough to bring out the best in him? This should be food for thought.

Let’s hope Eric Bekoe, the current best footballer does not disappear from the football radar so soon. I admire his fighting spirit, dynamism and comportment both on and off the field and all things being equal he could make it great in future.

Naturally Bekoe would not be everybody’s favourite, but the tantrums by Walter Yankah Chief Executive of Bekoe’s former club Heart of Lions about his best footballer award should be regarded as sour grapes. Yankah in a press interview said Bekoe did very little to deserve the honour. These comments are most unsporting and the obvious conclusion one may draw is that the chief executive is peeved that Bekoe, quit Heart of Lions.

I suggest the football fraternity should disregard this unsporting comment. No one needs a white cane to realise that Bekoe is a good footballer. When we preach discipline in sports, it binds on both the practitioners and the managers.

Do you think Alex Ferguson will make such unsavoury remarks about Cristiano Ronaldo even if the dribbling wizard takes the unwise decision of leaving Manchester United at the peak of his career? No way. That is not the hallmark of a leader. You need leaders that inspire confidence in those that look up to them.

Cheers and keep loving sports.