THE Black Stars left Ghana to the just ended African Cup of Nations, with the sole aim of wining the elusive trophy after a long 30 year wait as a country.
They became the most fancied side after Cote d’Ivoire, particularly when the likes of Egypt who has won the tournament a record of seven times, Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa failed in their qualification bids.
However, the Black Stars faltered along the line resulting from what soccer pundits described as a series of poor performances.
Like the proverbial saying that, “He who carries the load, breaks the pot”, Asamoah Gyan, described as the best striker of all time that Ghana has produced, missed an important penalty that could have taken the team into the finals, for the second time in a row, in a similar fashion during the 2010 world cup finals in South Africa.
Instantly, the joy on the faces of Ghanaians changed to despair and hopelessness, with Gyan, the entire team and technical handlers becoming villains, while sections of the public called for their crucifixion, like Pontius Pilate.
To the ordinary football fan, the entire team needed to be overhauled, the coach sacked and the entire Football Association dissolved for spearheading a disastrous campaign.
With press freedom at its peak, and radio becoming a major medium of communication, people had the guts to call into programmes with threats on the entire team, and Gyan in particular.
The hate campaign was taken a step further with social network sites and blogs being dominated with pictures cataloguing Gyan’s obituary.
Whereas the team exited the competition placing fourth, a depressing situation from their 2010 record where they lost to Egypt, striker Asamoah Gyan exited the Africa Cup of Nations as public enemy number one among some Black Stars' supporters.
The “lazy kick” as described by soccer analysts of Gyan, had on the other hand overlooked his contribution in getting Ghana into the last four of the tournament, as he was honed for the first half penalty miss.
The scope of vilification was so high that the team and its technical handlers were snubbed by the usual fanfare scene that often characterised their return home from major tournaments.
Then I asked myself, “assuming the Stars were a political party, wouldn’t they have had at their disposal propaganda secretaries and spokespersons to vehemently defend their cause”?
Political parties have in the past stood in solidarity with their leaders and members even during dreadful times and continue to do so till date.
Members and cronies would go any length to shield non performing officers and sometimes those who fell foul of the law, simply because they shared in their visions and aspirations.
Leading members often rise up to the task and oganise protests with loud cheer voices for the release and a halt in trial procedings of political allies who may be held accountable for crimes they might have committed against the state.
In the case of the Stars, they had become vulnerable to public ridicule with no propaganda secretaries and followers to lay siege and forcefully protect their cause.
What we Ghanaians forget is that, football is a game of chance and anytime we win a game, another nation loses and grieves.
To the Ghanaian, of the opposing teams on the field of play, only members of the Black Stars team should have possession of the ball, pass it from one player to the other, and the other and subsequently score without the opponents interference.
Let us as a people learn to appreciate what we have, since a good name they say is better than riches.
SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Tue Feb 21, 2012
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