Win or come home; Black Stars dilemma

The nation’s heart was temporarily broken when the dream of the national team, the Black Stars, of going past the Gabonese team did not materialise last week.

All efforts were to get our 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign back on track after suffering a 0-1 loss to Morocco in our opening game. We were all certain of a victory by beating Gabon in the second Group C game at the competition taking place in Cameroun but that never happened as we drew 1-1.

Having lost the opening game against Morocco 0-1, and drawn with Gabon, many people lost hope over the team’s quest for a fifth title. However, there is still a ray of hope as the Black Stars battle Comoros tonight. A must-win will hopefully see Ghana progress to the Round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams. We definitely must stay on course.

This is the time for the Black Stars to prove their big boys status of Africa by ensuring that they pick that slot and move to the next stage of the competition.

We are very much assured of the declaration by the Stars Captain, Dede Ayew, when we drew with Gabon that: “We are Ghana; we are going to win the last game and go through.”

Ghana’s coach Milovan Rajevac was also hopeful that his team would pull through to the next stage of the tournament, despite the poor start to their AFCON campaign.

Uncomfortable as it is, this is not the first time the Stars have had to recover from a poor showing to turn things around to go all the way to the final of the AFCON. Indeed, in 2010, the team, coincidentally handled by the current coach, Milovan Rajevac, lost their opening game 1-3 to Cote d’Ivoire, but they recovered and reached the final, losing that epoch game 0-1 to Egypt.

Again, at the 2015 tournament in Equatorial Guinea, the Stars began their campaign on a losing note. They were beaten 1-2 by Senegal but they yet managed to turn things around to reach the final where they lost in a marathon of penalty kicks to Cote d’Ivoire.

The current team can take inspiration from those performances and ensure that they keep their campaign on course, taking it a game at a time and eventually, delivering the fifth AFCON title and ending the 40-year wait.

Comparatively, the team is not as complete as the Stars Ghana has had in the recent past, given that as many as 17 out of the 23 players are AFCON debutants. However, there are a number of individual skilful and talented players as well as experienced stars who, together with a unity of purpose, right playing mentality and technical direction, can succeed and make themselves and the nation proud.

In the last few days, former Black Stars players, namely Anthony Baffoe and Sammy Osei Kuffour, as well as Ibrahim Tanko, Richard Kingson and Stephen Appiah, have interacted with the players in a bid to inspire and motivate them to deliver.

That should be the spirit, and the Daily Graphic encourages all Ghanaians to support the team to victory.

It is said that a house that is divided against itself cannot stand, and perhaps, the lack of absolute support from all Ghanaians has played a role in affecting the psyche of the team.

At this moment, the nation must stand together behind Team Ghana, because at the end the players need the prayers of all and not curses as they battle under the national flag.

While we urge all Ghanaians to support the team to shine tonight, the Daily Graphic would also like to reiterate Tony Baffoe’s inspiring words: The Black Stars are the only team we have and they carry the spirit of the nation. We all have to support them to excel.”

Baffoe, a former Deputy General Secretary of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), also told the Black Stars:”When you step out on the pitch, you must sweat for the flag, sweat for the shirt, sweat for yourselves and your families and indeed, the entire nation.

“We are Ghana, the Black Stars, the shining star and you have to prove that no matter what, the star always shines.”

The Daily Graphic wishes to remind the Stars that their performance affects the mood of the nation and we will urge them to positively rev up the mood of the nation.
Go Black Stars Go!