When Kevin Prince Boateng scored his maiden goal for Ghana, he made a dash towards the VIP box to acknowledge someone standing and applauding his intelligent strike.
The reason it has taken over 48 hours for the identity of that person to be known is that the cameras were more interested in grabbing the reactions of former US President Bill Clinton.
The goal celebration and acknowledgement was directed towards President Mills who was standing in line with Fifa boss Sepp Blatter and Caf President Isa Hayatou. An hour before kick-off, President Mills told the Black Stars players to be "more purposeful in front of goal."
Again,flashback to when the World Cup Trophy Tour touched down in Accra on Thursday October 15, 2009, President Mills was the ONLY Ghanaian permitted to hold the famous gold trophy as it arrived at the Castle presidency. The President announced then; “I would want to say something to FIFA; I’m giving this trophy back to you, but it’s on loan. After the World Cup it’s going to come back here.”
Once upon a long long time, I held the strong conviction that politics and sports cannot share the same bed. The education of two World Cups and three Nations Cups later, I am not ashamed to concede that I was wrong and of course very naive.
The Mills visits have not entirely been embraced by all Ghanaians especially those who insist the President is using the World Cup as an excuse to travel to South Africa. It may sound petty on the surface but do the cynics and critics of the Mills "Tour de SA" team have a point about the recent trips to South Africa?
On the one hand, critics are livid that he has been jumping on any available plane to South Africa to watch football matches. This they claim, is setting a "very bad precedent for others to follow." The fact that the President left the shores of Ghana five clear days before Ghana played her first match against Serbia raised eyebrows as to the real motive(s) behind his trips to SA.
So after getting a special green light from FIFA to enter a no-go zone, what exactly did President Atta Mills tell Black Stars players and officials when he walked into the team dressing room before the must win game against the USA? What was his real motive and mission? Was it to confirm government had fulfilled all it's promises to the squad or to request for the list of the starting eleven? Did the President make suggestions about tactics?
"What was discussed and said between the players and myself will remain private but yes I did say a short prayer for the boys and blessed them to go and make their country proud."
So it was as simply as that? To pray for the boys......and what exactly were the words?
The smile that preceded the President's answer told me that he was not going to spill the beans. "I have always maintained that we have what it takes to win the World Cup but we have to work hard and make sure we do all we can to ensure the players who will execute the job are properly equipped to deliver. The President's words are reassuring especially following reports of player unrest and a divided camp with coach Milovan Rajevac losing control of the dressing room.
These reports may have been greatly exaggerated but nobody should deny that there were serious challenges that had to be quickly nibbed in the bud to avert an early exit of the team.
So getting a face-to-face interview with President Mills to extract his views on Ghana's World Cup campaign thus far was a blessing I was not going to throw away. "We must always be thankful for small mercies and my prayer is for the boys to go as far as they can."
When I asked if he seriously believes that Ghana can lift the World Cup in South Africa, President Mills reminded me that he has been singing this chorus from day one and his position remains unchanged. Few can deny that the dressing room visit did more good than harm and especially those who really matter in the game.
Ghana FA boss, Kwesi Nyantakyi, added his voice to the chorus of delight. "Yes the President's presence in the dressing room before and after the USA game was an added motivation for the boys and we have the belief that we can go all the way."
Andre "Dede" Ayew agrees that to be satisfied with just a quarter final berth would be foolish and draws similar parallels to Ghana's Nations Cup campaign in Angola a few months ago.
"We had problems in Angola with injuries and a slow start but we never stopped believing in ourselves and that kept us going. Now we are even more motivated especially after the President came and prayed for us to beat the US."
Who says football and politics do not go hand in hand? Ask Nelson Mandela or Jacob Zuma to former US President Bill Clinton, President Atta Mills, and even the British Royal Princes William and Harry. At this World Cup Finals, the good, the bad and the beautiful have been well represented and it does not look like ending any time soon.
Meanwhile, the 2010 World Cup has become the fourth consecutive tournament to be free of doping so far. More than 450 players have been screened during the World Cup, including almost 200 match day checks.
By Yaw Ampofo-Ankrah e.tv Ghana/SA 2010 Fans Diaries
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