To the point: Have Stars reached twilight?
Thousands of soccer fans trooped out of the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi last Saturday evening after the Black Stars 1 - 1 draw with Uganda in the AFCON-2015 qualifier asking themselves whether the team had now reached their twilight.
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Everybody was wondering if that was the full strength of the Stars and, in fact, if they had the least chance of going through the current exercise with the usual excellence.
I know you are also asking the same question. There are over 50 independent African nations, all vying for the chance to be in the last 16 to gather in Morocco for the same event's 30th edition, and today, every country is smart enough to be there.
AFCON is no monopoly for any particular nation on the continent, and every two years in recent times, things do happen to indicate that Africa is mature.
I can say for sure that in recent times, scarcely will you hear that at a given AFCON event, the Black Stars were missing, and who can tell me they would be missing among the last 16, despite the poor start in Kumasi, during which they were exposed by Uganda, whose highest record in the competition was when they ended up as runners-up in the 1978 finals, held in this incredible, natural Coast of Gold.
Here were the Uganda Cranes who had never participated in the FIFA World Cup since their independence in the 1960s, and the impression they left was the fear that they would play above themselves at home in the second leg in Kampala.
And it is justifiably so, considering their speed, strength and the accuracy of their strikers, especially in the first half; something that gave their opponents a good run for their money.
Lovers of soccer had cause to admire their standard, and they proved that they were capable of comfortably qualifying for Morocco with the ability and character they exhibited.
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Of course, the fans who watched the game and thousands who saw the game on their screens might have their own judgement and draw their own conclusions.
But it is quite clear that unless there is a general improvement in the performance of the Stars, the confidence people have in them will erode before we realise what radical steps to take (before we face the worse disgrace).
Can you feel the pinch and pain of the ardent fans who saw the team that did well to draw with the last World Cup winners at the Brazil tournament, going down the drain in African qualifiers, and can you imagine the Black Stars failing to qualify for AFCON; something which has never happened since 1994 when the event was staged in Tunisia?
Really, can it be the fate of the Stars who have on three occasions qualified on the trot for the World Cup since Germany 2006?
It is actually possible that one of the countries in the Stars’ group — Guinea, Togo and Uganda — can qualify with the least sweat.
Only God can tell! But our fans who have the "never say die" spirit think the whole game will start with the next match in Lome,
Togo, today and for that thousands of soccer fans are eager to troop to Togo to support.
In fact, what they are saying is the Black Stars will surely put the unfortunate incidents that happened in Kumasi last week behind them and go ahead to fight for survival, no matter what captain Sheyi Adebayor and his team will do to satisfy their home fans who felt the pain of losing their first three points to Guinea in Casablanca, Morocco, at the weekend.
The Black Stars have a record of reaching the quarter-finals in the four-year World Cup, and it will be sad if they fail their people and Africa. Recent events which invited such headlines as "Brazil Debacle", "Commonwealth Games Fiasco" and Canada Women World Cup Hell" will only be forgotten by fans as Asamoah Gyan and his men fight for qualification to Morocco.
It will be recalled that the last home encounter with the Ugandans was in the AFCON 78 held in this country during which the Black Stars beat the Cranes 2 - 0 in the grand finale with great stars like Opoku Afriyie, Abdul Razak, Emmanuel Quaye, Mohammed Polo, Adai Kyenkyenhene, Isaac Aquaye, backed by goalkeeper Paha and others.
Information gathered indicates that the Ugandans are prepared very well to win the Cup this time round, and fight for the Cup just as the Zambians did in the 2012 Equatorial Guinea/Gabon tournament. Indeed, what is happening in these qualifiers in which the underdogs are setting good examples with their winning mentality should engender the good old boys to think differently now.
Meanwhile, fans are seriously calling on coach Kwasi Appiah and the Black Stars Management Committee to generously pardon the Stars who were suspended during the Brazil tournament and call on them to join their colleagues in camp and fight a good fight for the qualification.
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What they are saying is the suspended Stars fought a good fight for the whole team and for obvious reasons suffered the penalty for their colleagues.
Well, they think the Management Committee will do well to consider certain factors and reverse their decision in the interest of fairness and help bring unity in their camp. God bless!