The Black Stars should not play in Cairo

On November 19, 2013, the Black Stars of Ghana will meet the Pharaohs of Egypt in a crucial World Cup soccer qualifier that will decide which team – and nation – joins four others to represent Africa at Brazil 2014. As monumental as this duel is, the members of the Ghana Black Stars are genuinely concerned about their safety and wellbeing in a country that has been trapped in the habiliments of turmoil and violence the last few years. As important as this soccer match is to the Ghanaian soccer enthusiast, the members of the Black Stars and their families are – and should be – concerned about preserving life and limb after the officiating referee blows the final whistle in Cairo on November 19. The Black Stars of Ghana do not fear any foe, but they are also not foolish enough to fall into the unrestrained traps of unruly Egyptian nationalists in Cairo.

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has, allegedly, given the Egyptian authorities until October 28, 2013, to provide assurances that the Ghanaian delegation will be safe before and after this pivotal soccer match, but I wish to appeal to the Ghana Government and the Ghana Football Association to not rely on some half-hearted assurances from a group of military strongmen who have lost control of the security situation in Egypt. By loss of control I do not mean that civility and decorum have disappeared completely from the streets of Egypt; rather, by loss of control I am referring to the military’s repressive tactics to maintain some semblance of order in the country. Whenever a regime has to rely on brute force to lead its people, that regime either has no credibility or it no longer commands the respect of the masses. Without my reminding them, both the leaders of the Ghana Football Association and members of the Black Stars must remember that they are likely to find the Egyptian crowd dangerous and unpredictable on November 19.

The overthrow of former strongman Hosni Mubarak during the initial stages of the Arab Spring demonstrations that began in 2010 may have ushered in a movement of reform in Egypt and other North African sovereign states, but no one truly prognosticated the current events in Egypt: the unpredictable pockets of violence that have brought life in Egypt to a standstill, especially in the aftermath of the overthrow of ex-President Mohammed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected leader. Although I do not intend to interfere in Egypt’s internal affairs, the safety and wellbeing of members of the Black Stars cannot be genuinely guaranteed by a military regime that has become a symbol of oppression to the average Egyptian. Add to this mix the ravenous passion for football by supporters of both national teams and we have a situation that can degenerate into chaos and violence in a matter of minutes.

Because the safety of the Ghanaian team cannot be truly guaranteed, I call on the Ghana Government and the Ghana Football Association to persuade FIFA for a venue change – either to a small town in the southern part of Egypt where the military can have greater control of the crowd, or to a neutral location. If the Ghanaian authorities refuse to act forcefully for a venue switch, then they should pray very hard that our boys return from Cairo with life and limb intact. Any other outcome will not be a pleasant one!

I also call on Ghanaian soccer enthusiasts to contact FIFA directly to demand a venue switch. You can reach FIFA via Twitter (@FIFAcom and @SeppBlatter), fax (+41-(0)43 222 7878), and electronic mail (contact@fifa.org; Christine.Botta@fifa.org; competitions@fifa.org, and SecretaryGeneralOffice@fifa.org). Please send your appeals preferably to all four e-mail contacts listed above, but make sure that your messages are short, error-free, and devoid of threatening or abusive language. Although Ghanaians want to see their beloved Black Stars in Brazil next year, we do not have to sacrifice life and limb for this fleeting honor. In other words, the Black Stars should not play the November 19 match in Cairo.

© All rights reserved. The writer, Daniel K. Pryce, can be reached at dpryce@cox.net. He may be followed on Twitter: @DanielKPryce. He invites the reader to join the pressure group “Good Governance in Ghana” on Facebook.com, which he superintends. “Good Governance in Ghana” is a group that emphasizes the preservation of democracy, justice, equity, and law and order in Ghana.