The World Cup beckons but where is our commentary?
Come June 2014, Ghana will make a historic third consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup. This is indeed great news considering the numerous advantages that accrue to nations taking part in the biggest assemblage of the football fraternity.
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Apart from the huge financial benefits that participating countries stand to rake, there are also the economic gains to be derived from the sale of merchandise. One can also not lose sight of the free global advert that participating countries stand to enjoy.
Until quite recently, Ghana had often been confused with the South American state of Guyana but since our two time appearance at the World Cup, we have become more visible to the international community.
Coming home, the World Cup has always served as a rallying point in pulling us together as a people with a common destiny. Thus, football and for that matter, the World Cup, puts together what politics puts asunder.
The entertainment value is equally huge as men particularly, are glued to their TV sets and most pubs are filled with patrons watching matches amidst eating of khebab and gulping of all kinds of liquor. This is often to the chagrin of wives as husbands return home late, drenched in alcohol and sweat and not in the mood to perform their husbandry roles.
From all indications, therefore, the World Cup period bodes good for most countries and Ghana is not excluded. Productivity will suffer a bit. But who cares about productivity when Warris is on the warpath, Messi is mesmerising and Ronaldo is rolling all over the place.
For those of us from the very well-endowed but poor countries of the world, travelling to Brazil to watch matches can only be a dream. With an average income of about two dollars a day, it may be easier for the camel to pass through the eye of a needle than the average Ghanaian to be at the Mundial.
In fact, for some communities that I know, if they were to sell all their personal belongings including sponges and towels, just to sponsor only the assembly member to go and watch it on their behalf, it will still be a pipe dream.
Professional commentary
And this is where reliable, accurate and professional commentary comes in. For those in the cities who may have access to digital satellite television (DSTV), half of the problem is solved. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of those of us who will be fed by some of our local TV and radio stations.
To put it mildly, the standard of commentary on some of our local networks is not only appalling and amateurish but simply nauseating.
The essence of commentary is to remove the distance barrier between the viewer and the match venue so that one can follow proceedings and feel like being present at the stadium. This can only be achieved based on the depth of knowledge of the commentator and the quality of his delivery.
To be able to do this, the commentator must not only have an in-depth knowledge of the rules of the game but must be generally knowledgeable.
In a recent match, an apparently ignorant commentator who did not know the difference between countries kept interchanging Guinea with Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and Papua New Guinea to the consternation of some of us. To him, “all Guinea be Guinea!”
Trained and experienced commentators all over the world are not only masters in the language but put great effort in their preparation and pronunciation. Additionally, good commentators remain neutral and do not allow their sentiments and emotions to show.
In a recent encounter between the Black Stars and another team, the commentator spent 90 per cent of the time talking about only the Black Stars. My wife popped out of the kitchen to enquire whether the Black Stars were playing against themselves that day. When I asked why, she said the whole commentary was on the Black Stars. Didn’t the players from the opposing country also have names?
Elsewhere, commentary is a well-paid profession, but here in Ghana it is seen more as a hobby. Little wonder just a handful of commentators in Ghana can be counted among the best. As I write, there is no membership association that regulates the conduct of members or seeks their welfare. Equally disturbing is the absence of a well-defined training regime for would-be commentators.
But good commentary which entails the ability to vividly describe what is happening on the pitch while dishing out relevant statistics at the right time and keeping viewers glued to their sets is an important ingredient in modern football. There is, therefore, the urgent need to up this department of the game to make the World Cup more exciting to our people.
A story is told of a certain school — which invited the Achimota College for a debate. The Achimotans accepted the challenge and made the journey to the school for the debate. Meanwhile, a form one student had been put on sentry to observe the arrival of the Achimotans and report same to the Senior Prefect.
The boy, on spotting the Achimota school bus arriving, dashed back to the dormitory and in a frantic voice shouted SP, SP Achimota fuo no aba, aka brofo a ye de ko hyia won! to wit Senior Prefect, the Achimotans have arrived, it is left with the English with which we are going to welcome them!
If they did not even have the appropriate English to welcome them, then how were they going to have the debate which was to be in English? Your guess is as good as mine
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The writer is the head of Public Relations and Protocol, University of Cape Coast and a senior retired military officer.
Writer’s email: kofikofi1977@hotmail.com