We must have an attitude of gratitude in the World Cup!
We are truly a nation of soccer-mad citizens.
The defeat of the Black Stars last Monday in their first group stage match by their old foes, the United States, has revealed an extremely disagreeable character trait in some of us.The only charitable thing we can say in defence of the cruel statements some of us are making since the shock defeat, cannot be comprehensively explained as the obverse of victory.
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Attacking Coach Kwasi Appiah to the extent of insulting his alma mater cannot be justified in any way, no matter the depth of our feelings on the matter. Reports of a near riot in camp orchestrated by the so-called stars in the team, later denied, only demonstrated the nihilistic response to defeat that has become the stock in trade of those of us who have made it our while to vent our negative feelings.
What is the purpose of subjecting the coach to criticism when the tournament just began for Ghana? Is losing a battle the basis for predicting the outcome of the war? Rattling the coach with this acidic criticism can only cement the feelings of defeat in our camp, not dispel them. But then, this assumes the critics are interested in victory, or are really rooting for the Black Stars. Are our chances so bright and leadership the only ingredient for victory that some of us think damning Kwasi Appiah is a rational reaction to the first group match?
I am persuaded by the high level of negativity levelled against the coach, the team, specific players, the GFA, the minister and his deputy, and yes, the President himself, that the explanation for the reaction goes beyond the mere event of the
Black Stars losing their opening match. It cannot be that our critics are not aware or appreciative of the basic fact that it is a contest that one can either win or lose. It cannot be that our critics are oblivious of the fact that no matter the depth of contempt in which we hold our opponents, it is the height of irresponsible patriotism to underestimate them, or believe they are complete dunces who have not invested similar feelings or expectations of victory in their preparations?
The most curious of the accusations levelled right, left, and centre is the incessant blaming of the President for this disaster, by people who obviously never voted for him, or have no intention of voting for him anytime soon.
One may be fooled into thinking that a victory would have amended somewhat the vitriol such people normally pour on our President in these days of dumsor and economic hardships. I don’t think so. Some of these critics are long-term investors in the misfortunes of our country, and seek unearned profit whenever we meet a national difficulty.
Question
In spite of everything, none of the critics have bothered to ask themselves the basic question: Why should Ghana win any match at all in the tournament? It is not as if nations haven’t participated and returned with not even a single goal to their credit, in spite of qualifying to take part. Algeria is an example; they scored their first ever goal in two appearances in the World Cup last Tuesday against Belgium, but lost the game anyway.
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Getting the chance to take part in the tournament itself must be a source of justifiable pride for any country.
This is because the qualifiers themselves are a grueling nail-biting campaign that the majority of contesting nations never get the chance to sail through. It is even worse for the individual players who number in their hundreds in every country as far as talent is concerned.
To hear Kevin Boateng publicly damn our coach when he practically boycotted the qualifiers, is very painful. I assert that he would never dream of even a whimper if he were playing for Germany. Since he is half-German, I am inviting him to opt out of the next match with his motherland tomorrow. It will save all of us the nagging doubts about his personal commitment to this country and its soccer fortunes.
The gale of sheer unreason sweeping the land after the surprise defeat is very much akin to the vitriol that a good number of our citizens invested in the hearing of the election petition at the Supreme Court last year. We have gratefully forgotten the women who refused to sleep with their husbands awaiting a favourable verdict from the court. We have forgotten the harsh language employed not to prove the veracity of the reliefs being sought in court, but only to prove one’s loyalty to the cause of the petitioners.
But these negative self-created feelings do not just vanish; they do have repercussions in ways we all may find disgusting in the future.
Last Wednesday, the Daily Graphic itself reported the story of the man who had acid poured on him by his own friends during the period of the election petition because he refused to declare his support for the petitioners.
Dreaded Germans
The wailing that has begun because we would be forced to come home early suggests the winner of the tournament, if it is not the host country, won’t go home. All participating teams will go home after the tourney.
The critics better get ready to up their game because our opponents tomorrow are the dreaded Germans whom we have never beaten in any match.
Worse, the American team that has caused all of us the pain of an early return home, is being coached by a German, Jurgen Klinsman, who had been capped by Germany several times in his playing days.
I watched the match with the Americans. We played extremely well, but the goals just refused to come. It is futile to blame one or the other player for this or that shortfall without taking into account the anticipation of the Americans to our seeming shortcomings.
They took advantage of our failures which may have been seen as pure genius if they had been translated into the coinage of eventual success, goals.
I am very gratified that CNN interrupted its unending news coverage with the breaking news that the United States had scored the fastest goal in the history of the tournament against its soccer nemesis, Ghana. I am satisfied that as usual, the Americans got it wrong describing us as a country of giraffes when these animals don’t inhabit this part of the continent.
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I am happy that for once, we are united in riveting attention to a game watched and enjoyed by the whole world, and that we in Ghana, are actually taking part, unlike over a hundred and fifty other countries in the world. I am grateful, and so should the rest of us all.