There should be no ifs or buts...

Sunday will be the moment of truth as to whether the Black Stars will progress or be stopped in their avowed aim of lifting the Africa Nations Cup for the first time since 1982.

It is the moment that the quality that the Stars are made of will be tested once again as they meet Congo DR in the quarter-finals of the AFCON tournament.

For those who might have been thrown into a state of doubt over the championship form of the Stars following last Wednesday’s defeat by Egypt in their last group match, Sunday’s knockout game remains a decisive moment.

And we cannot agree more with those fans who are eager to know whether the Stars are just a big hype or real championship contenders.

Indeed, the Stars have much to prove to Ghanaians that they are capable of staying the course, come Sunday, as we expect them to go past the Leopards, no matter the cost.
But we cannot fail to empathise with Coach Avram Grant and his charges who will be entering Sunday’s game without their captain and inspirer, Asamoah Gyan.

We cannot overemphasise the importance of Gyan to the expected success of the team at this tournament, the reason the management of the team should go the extra mile in ensuring that the necessary and radical medical attention is given him for his quick recovery.

It is quite relieving the news that Gyan’s injury is not one to knock him out of the tournament and that even if he misses Sunday’s encounter but the Stars still manage to qualify for the semi-finals, he will be available for that.

But, with or without Gyan, the Stars should let their comparatively higher pedigree tell and hold sway over their opponents.

We want to believe that last Wednesday’s defeat by the Pharaohs of Egypt was nothing but a flash in the pan, as the match was only used to test the readiness of those players who had been warming the bench.

By all accounts, it was worth the test for newcomers such as Samuel Tetteh, Andy Yiadom and Bernard Terkpertey, any one of whom can ride the storm if fielded on Sunday.

We need to have confidence in our players once they have been deemed good enough to make the 23-man team for the AFCON. Therefore, there is no need risking players with injury when fully fit ones are made to sit on the bench.

The technical staff needs no reminder that this stage of the tournament is critical and that they can only reach their set target by deploying our best arsenals against our opponents on Sunday.

There should be no ifs or buts!!