• Annor Walker – Coach, Black Galaxies

In the next couple of weeks, Ghana’s locally-assembled players, now known as the Black Galaxies (formerly Local Black Stars), will swing into action with qualification to the 2023 Championship of African Nations (CHAN) tournament to be held in Algeria sturdily embossed on their minds.

The Championship for African Nations (CHAN), is strictly reserved for players campaigning at the domestic front; a tournament that is progressively growing in popularity since its inception in 2009.

The Galaxies are expected to face Benin in a two-legged game starting July 27 this month at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium – with the aggregate winner facing off with Nigeria for a place in Algeria 2023.

Idea behind the creation of CHAN is to afford homegrown players the opportunity to represent their countries as well as promoting their domestic leagues globally.

The first country to win the CHAN trophy was the Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo who upstaged the Black Galaxies 2-0 in an absorbing ‘grand finale of revenge,’ hosted by Côte d’Ivoire.

The Ghanaians, then coached by Maxwell Konadu, had dazzled the Congolese at the group stage before baking them 3-0. That invigorating performance was enough to see all dashing in favour of the previously known Local Black Stars team, in spite of the wizardry of DR Congo’s Tresor Mputu Mabi.

Wrong! What was generally expected to be an encore for the Galaxies in the final, turned out to be a disappointing show of anguish as two second half strikes from Kaluyituka Dioko and Mbenza Bedi sounded the death knell for Ghana.

Nonetheless, on the back of that scintillating outing, experts of the continental game tipped the Galaxies to make amends two years later by lifting the Holy Grail. This time again, wrong! At the 2011 edition, the team was shamefully flushed out at the group stage, but managed to bounce back in 2014 for another silver medal spot after losing to Libya, via the lottery of shoot-out. 

Ever since, there has been failure upon failure to the chagrin of fans who attribute the slump to poor selection and inadequate preparations. In fact, since the South Africa tournament in 2014, the Galaxies are yet to qualify for the CHAN biennial event – failing to respond to the roll call in 2016, 2018 and 2020.

For a country that prides itself as one of the powerhouses of the continental game, it was shameful and discomforting to see this damning droop.

With the Black Starlets (national Under-17 boys team), Black Satellites (national Under-20 male team), the Black Maidens (national women Under-17 team), and the Black Queens (senior national women’s team) – all failing to qualify for their respective campaigns, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) must stretch every sinew left in them to ensure the Galaxies pick a spot in Algeria 2023, this time around.

Failing to qualify for the CHAN tournament for the fourth time in succession would be too much a bitter pill for the nation to bear.

This is also why sweat merchant of the Galaxies – Annor Walker, must invite the right kind of materials capable of not only qualifying, but making waves at the tournament. Walker’s deputy – Prosper Nartey Ogum, is a bundle of quality, spearheading Kumasi Asante Kotoko to Ghana Premier League (GPL) success in the just-ended season. He must be able to combine efficiently with Walker to produce an inspiring result in the qualifiers as they search for the nation’s CHAN ticket in eight years.

Truth is that the battle is going to be a tough, energy-sapping engagement – especially when Nigeria is lying on the way, composedly waiting for the Ghana v Benin winner to slug things out.

One, therefore, does not need to remind the GFA and the technical team of the Galaxies to gird their loins for the Himalayan task ahead.  

We want to see players who, aside from their superlative quality, would be prepared to die for the result on the pitch rather than give up!

PlainTalk With John Vigah