The Ghana Football Association (GFA) announced this week that all mid week matches should hold a minutes silence in recognition and in solidarity with those who lost their lives in the May 9th disasster in 2001. But with that observed it is abundantly clear from events during the match match between Kumasi Asante Kotoko FC and Medeama SC; and indeed the escalated post match events; that suggest a minority of supporters of Kotoko merely went through the motions in observing this call.
It was a top of the table clash with both teams playing in earnest to secure the three points at stake and as in the case of all competitions competitors will make mistakes. And this is no different from match officials too. Those missed opportunities and differing interpretations of the Laws of the Game are all part and parcel of the game and should be accepted within the spirit of the game by all and sundry. I have and remain a staunch critic of Ghanaian match officials but I will never advocate physically attacking an official or officials for our differing views on the interpretation and application of the Laws of the Game, it's simply not on!
The events during the game; where the officials were pelted with a variety of missiles; are not new and occur every season from one venue to another with impunity. The supporters are not afraid of being arrested and the managemnt of these clubs are also unconcerned because the focus is not on them and their overall performance throughout the season. mMnagement only become; on the face of it; concerned when the trouble has already spiraled out of control in a bid to be seen to be doing something. But privately these management members encourage acts of intimidation, verbal and physical abuse!
They look on unconcerned during a match when incidents of this nature are taking place and they even expect the players to be encouraged by the hooliganism in the crowd because they are aware that the match officials do not have sufficient protection and will ultimately be afraid of what is going to take place on the blast of the final whistle! They allow macho-men supporters into the inner perimeter to manhandle the match officials and to threaten their lives, demanding that in the second half for a penalty at the very least to ensure their club wins the match. S And knowing all of this the GFA sit on their hands at disciplinary hearing accommodatingly and listen to club management members as they try to defend the indefensible.
When the sanction is declared especially in cases of smaller clubs its obvious the book has been thrown at them and they receive no reprieve but in the case of Kotoko and Hearts once an appeal has been lodged the outcome becomes predictable. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to predict that the sanction will be significantly reduced! It tickles me to death to hear management members and supporters lament about the severity of the punishment to the point where they indicate their willingness to withdraw from the Premier League and what's worse is the football authorities take these childish threats very seriously and run scared with their hands on their heads as if the Ghana Premier League can not survive without their participation. Of course our version of the "El Classico" is a very important feature of the League season; and must be taken into consideration; but let's not get it twisted because there is more hype than football being played every time on these match days. It's just that no one is prepared to say it! The fact is the "El Classico" has dropped several notches below what it used to be even 10 years ago. But who wants to face the truth?
We are often entreated to lectures about how much of a brand Kumasi Asante Kotoko now is; as if it wasn't a brand before now. The indictators to buttress this, points to the amount of sponsorship it attracts from corporate Ghana. Indeed Latex Foam, Healthilife, Everpure Water, Interplast, Fidelity Bank, Blue Jeans and the rest are all sponsors of Kumasi Asante Kotoko in the hope that they will receive huge patronage from the millions of supporters Kotoko boasts about having. But any marketing guru will tell you that there is no way of really measuring the impact that sponsoring Kotoko really has on their purchasing of their brands.
I am sure that if the companies were quizzed in depth about whether or not they believed that they have in fact benefited from through an increase in purchases they will tell you no! The truth is, being associated with Kotoko has only benefited Kotoko. It is only Latex Foam and Interplast that are leading brands in Ghana anyway. The rest are brands that are playing catch up with their competitors and hope that associating themselves with Kotoko will somehow propell them to new heights so that they may secure a greater share of the market but it hasn't had that effect at all.
Let me go on further to state categorically that if the management of our clubs and the GFA, Professional League Board (PLB) really understood the benefits of sponsorship and marketing and in particular the negative impact of the disturbance atbthe .baba Yara Stadium again, neither would waste time in publicly unreservedly condemning what took place yesterday in no uncertain terms. This is in itself would somehow restore corporate Ghana's confidence in ploughing huge sums of money into the game. But because they don't, they remain mute and in shock as to what to do. And then to add insult to injury we complain about the lack of patronage at games and tickle ourselves by saying it is a continental problem and not a problem unique to us because everyone loves the English Premier League!
The pathetic irony of this incident comes in the wake of the memorial of the May 9th disasster. Every year we inspect our navel on the fm stations in the electronic media on television and in print about whether or not we learned any lessons from the tragedy of that day. The truth of the matter is there are only a few individuals and of course the families of the victims that really care. The rest is just lip service and pathetic political posturing. We have learned nothing and will never learn anything for now.
Am sorry (but should I even bother to apologise?) but we just don't care or have any respect for the families of the people who lost their lives on that day. Our inability to even come together to play an annual peace match to commerrate what took place in recognition that we are all one is another testimony to that fact. We just can't do it because we are too tribalistic, selfish, insincere, and ill educated! Ghana Premier League indeed!!!
