Saanie Daara
Following the Black Stars failure to bring home the AFCON trophy as promised, one would have expected the Ghana FA and Black Stars Management Committee to return from the trip full of penitence and showing pangs of conscience for the repeated miscarriages.
The above is clearly not in their DNA and sobriety hasn’t been a practice with them. The Ghana FA have always arrived from tournaments with empty hands but full of words and extenuation. Egypt arrived in Gabon after a 7 year absence, but fought to the final and lost, yet they issued a public apology for not bringing back joy to the people.
But Ghana, accustomed pre-tournament favorites but perennial chokers arrive without a sniff of success and the initial remarks have been ones that irk, one that get on nerves and beats imagination.
I listened to the Ghana FA spokesperson on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo deviously trying to justify the Black Stars recent chain of failures. In his quest, he strangely emphasize the fact that, countries like Algeria had [Riyad] Mahrez, [Islam] Slimani etc but they also failed. He points to the fact that Senegal had the best players but they exited. He made reference to Eric Bailly being part of the Ivory Coast team but they also failed so Ghana wasn’t the only failure.
And that was in his and the GFA’s opinion, the grand reasons why Ghanaians should be content with what we have achieved (actually- failed to achieve) in recent years.
The GFA Communications man also rejects the assertion that the current administration must be unceasingly commended their ability in qualifying for successive tournaments.
Clearly, Ghana football through Ibrahim’s lenses is not the same we know and have read about. His record about Ghana football is contrasting to the tales we heard and what actually made us the Ghana we are today
Now, Ghana won FOUR African Cup of Nations (1963, 1965,1978 and 1982). The Black Stars also made four consecutive finals between 1963-1970. Ghana also qualified for the Olympic Games in 1964, 1968 and 1972. All these was done within a spate of 19 years. In that same period, Ghana’s two biggest football clubs, Asante Kotoko were runner ups of the Africa Cup in (1967, 1971, 1973, 1982) and had actually won the tournament in 1970. Accra Hearts of Oak were finalists in 1977, 1979 and that explains the country’s dominance in football in our early years.
Ghana’s slump in the AFCON in particular came between 1984 when the team exited in the tournament in Ivory Coast, failed to qualify for 1986, 1988 and 1990. The period and its lack of success is largely attributed to the lack of political will as then Millitary ruler chairman Rawlings and his PNDC focus had pressing national issues than invest in football, despite it been the passion of the nation. The PNDC government supervised a destabilized football administration by changing 8 FA chairmen in 9 year. At some points, Military commanders with little expertise took over the football association accounting for the downward spiral at club and national team levels.
Now let us analyse the period between 1990-2004. The period was marked by drastic transformation of domestic football with massive focus and investment at the youth level.
The Black Starlets of Ghana (U-17) won GOLD at the 1991 U-17 Chmapionship in Italy with Sammy Kuffuor, Sebastein Barnes, Mohammed Gargo and co.
A year later in 1992, The Black Stars were silver medalist at the AFCON in Senegal. Also in 1992 the Black Meteors (U-23) won BRONZE, Africa’s first medal in the Olympic Men’s football.
In 1993, Asante Kotoko were finalist of the CAF Champions League and that same year, the Starlets were runner-ups in the World Cup, not Africa.
The Black Stars qualified for a six consecutive AFCONs between 1992-2002 and made three quarter final appearances and one semi-final in the process.
The Black Starlets were champions of the first U-17 tournament in Africa in 1995 and proceeded to conquer the World in Ecuador 1995.
Ghana qualified again for the Atalanta 1996 Olympic Games progressing to the quarter finals. Ghana played in the AFCON 96 in South Africa and exited in semi final.
The stories of Malaysia 1997 are still fresh. That 1997, AshGold were in finals of the maiden edition of CAF Champions League.
There was AFCON 1998, and Ghana winning Africa U-20 gold in 1999 in Accra and also made the quarter final against Spain at Nigeria 1999, best remembered for the famous Hamza Mohammed penalty miss.
In 2000, Ghanaian football fans enjoyed another success, with Hearts of Oak winning the CAF Champions League.
In 2001, Ghana U-20 of Sulley Muntari, John Mensah, John Paintsil, Michael Essien, Derek Boateng etc won silver at the World Cup in Argentina.
Kotoko was in CAF Cup final the following year losing to WAC in the final. Accra Hearts of Oak and Kotoko were in the 2004 final of CAF confederations cup.
The Black Meteors qualified for 2004 Olympic Games in 2004 in Athens.
The GFA spokespersons’ claimed that he didn’t have opportunity to attend SEVERAL African Cup competitions because Ghana FAILED to qualify for SEVERAL African Cup of Nations tournaments when he practiced as a journalist.
The above claim is not only a grand exaggeration to deceive the public, but also a BLATANT LIE and one of the usual magnificent attempts to find a lame excuse.
Ibrahim Sannie Daara started practising in 1998, and his colleague journalists were with the Black Stars in Burkina Faso. Ghana qualified for 2002 AFCON with Sanni a member of the Ghanaian media in Mali in 2002, actually his first major tournament as a journalist.
For a fact, the Black Stars have missed ONLY one AFCON tournament after 1990,and that was in Tunisia 2004.So how did one tournament miss in 28 years become SEVERAL?
The Ghanaian local league was one of the best and most interesting under the period.
The compensation for the Black Stars lack of trophies between 1990 to 2004 was the rise of the local league, the performance of Ghanaian clubs in Africa and the youth football.
All what has been enumerated above is elucidating the fact that, this current administration, despite enjoying an unprecedented financial injection by government, has mainly focused on the Black Stars. There’s no denying the fact that three successive World Cup qualifications was a biggest plus to this country’s football. But nonetheless, it has come at a very big cost. The gradual death of the Ghana League is palpable and the youth level has witnessed little progress.
Ghana has failed to qualify for the Olympic Games in the last three editions under the current administration.
No Ghanaian club has even made the final of the Cup winners cup, not to talk of Champions League. The brand, attractiveness and competitiveness of the leagues has been lost.
The balance of yesteryears has been lost. Pressure is on the administration because of putting all their eggs in one basket.
We have seen football and witnessed a cross success at all levels before this administration and so the subtle attempt to find flaws with the previous regimes vis a vis the current is a non starter.
Twelve years of over concentration and colossal financial investment in the Black Stars has has been the bane of this administration.
The FA has literally neglected the local league, which is their core responsibility and lead product, and the absence of quality game and excitement at the other levels has led to the public focus on the Black Stars. Therefore, the failure of the Black Stars is deemed as representing the failure of the entire federation.
The approach of the GFA in justifying the Black Stars chokes in the AFCON is a weakest, lamest and shocking postures I’ve seen of an administration across the world.
Failure of the current administration to humbly accept responsibility for their legion of flaws has resulted in the public show of discontent at the slightest failure. Their insistence to justify the Brazil 2014 madness, and refusal to render public apology for the mess accounts for the unprecedented apathy, and clearly, the approach won’t change
Time to move on. Just time to move on. The excuses have been usual and extremely boring.
