Features
Black Stars’ early kayo and unfolding dramas
It was Friday, December 2, 2022, the venue was the Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar and the event was a crucial match to determine who qualifies to the Group of 16 stage of the 2022 World Cup tournament, between Ghana and Uruguay, both of whom are in Group H, considered a group of death in the on-going world soccer fiesta. Ghana, with three points ahead of Uruguay and South Korea, and lying second on the league table, needed a win or a draw to advance to the knockout stage of the competition. Portugal, with six points to its credit, topped the group and, therefore, firmly secured to advance to the group of 16 stage of the competition.
GHANAIANS HOPEFUL FOR TEAM’S ADVANCEMENT
Considering the drama that unfolded in the 2010 World Cup tournament in South Africa, in which certain Luis Suarez of Uruguay made it impossible for Ghana to advance to the semi- final stage of the competition, using his hands to clear the ball from the goal post of which the resultant penalty was wasted by Ghana’s captain and prolific goal poacher, Asamoah Gyan, Ghanaians were hopeful that, this was the time for a possible revenge and that victory would be ours at all cost. Connoisseurs of football, have tipped Ghana to win that match and advanced to the next stage of the competition, in view of their three points advantage over Uruguay and South Korea, who had a point each.
Days before that match and after the match itself on Friday, December 2, 2022, there had been a series of drama from certain personalities including former Black Stars player during studios’ discussions, thus, hyping tension among Ghanaians in that particular encounter.That game itself, looked as if Ghana had reached the finals of this tournament and that Ghana was heading for the golden trophy. The whole country was quiet like a catacomb, as Ghanaians were glued to their television sets to watch that crucial encounter, waiting for victory to come so that the country could explode in joy and ecstasy. But that was not to be, as Ghanaians were given the shock of their lives by conceding two goals to Uruguay. It was a painful defeat and I am sure that many households lost appetite for supper and slept early.
EMERGING DRAMAS THAT UNFOLDED
The emerging dramas that unfolded after the defeat, were unimaginable and difficult to comprehend. People shed tears uncontrollably, some husbands refused to talk to their wives due to intense anger, while others shaved their hairs and beards to register their protests and anger. Perhaps, what could console Ghanaians a little, was the inability of Uruguay to use their score line to advance to the knockout stage of the competition because South Korea was able to beat Portugal 2-1 and advanced on basis of head-to head to the knockout stage of the competition.
It was painful and emotional spectacle, when veteran Sports journalist, writer and commentator Mr. KwabenaYeboah, was spotted in tears on a national television studio. That sad moment occurred during a GTV studio discussion, leading to the match between Ghana and Uruguay in Qatar’s ongoing World Cup tournament. Kwabena Yeboah and other studio panellists including John Painstil, former Black Star player, were all emotional, when a video of Suarez handling the ball out their goal post in the 2010 World Cup tournament in South Africa, and that of Asamoah Gyan, missing his penalty was shown on the television screen.
Another worrying drama, involved a former Black Stars midfielder, Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu, who had his hair shaved on national television, following Ghana’s loss to Uruguay. The former Udinese player, had to fulfil his promise of getting his hair shaved, should Ghana fail to qualify to the knockout stage of the competition. When the game finally ended with Ghana losing 2-0 to Uruguay, Agyemang-Badu had to eat his humble pie by honouring his promise. A barber was invited into the TV 3 Studio, who immediately cleared all the hair off the head of Agyeman-Badu, who currently plays for Accra Great Olympics in the national premier league.
It is recalled that a few weeks ago, Agyemang-Badu made a bold declaration in the studio of TV 3 that, Ghana was going to qualify to the group of 16 stage of the competition at all cost. Hear him, “With set pieces, we are progressing well over time. We are not yet in the air. We now have a sturdy bench. I am not certain that this will lose their chance to advance from the group. If they don’t, I will shave off all my hair on live TV”.
OTTO ADDO’S RESIGNATION
What is most astonishing and shocking to Ghanaians was the sharp announcement by Coach Otto Addo about his resignation in a post-match interview by the press. According to him, he had already indicated before the start of the World Cup that he would step down from his job after the competition, regardless of Ghana’s performance. As he put it, “Me and my family are happy in Germany. I said I would step down after the World Cup, even if we are world champions after the tournament. I have resigned my role as Ghana’s coach”.
Even though Coach Otto Addo has explained the reason for his resignation, the announcement was quite in a haste, as many Ghanaians will view it. You took your army to a battle front, and soon after you have been defeated, you have decided to leave them in the midstream by denouncing your leadership role. Why didn’t you wait for the team to return to Ghana before announcing your resignation as a coach? The cheek of it was to say that your family are better off in Germany. What do you take this country or Ghanaians for?
GFA TO TAKE THE BLAME OF HIS RESIGNATION
The blame should be placed at the doorsteps of the government and the football governing body, Ghana Football Association (GFA) who contracted this coach to lead the technical bench of the Black Stars. When he told the whole nation during the time of his recruitment that he was going to combine the Dortmund job with the Black Stars coaching job, many were those who thought that the handling of the team should be a full time job and, therefore, he should be allowed to choose between the two jobs, the one that was dear to his heart. That advice from Ghanaians was flatly ignored and the contract was awarded. At a point, he was operating from Germany and directing affairs of the team in Ghana and the GFA accepted that. Yes, he was able to help Ghana to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar at the expense of Nigeria, but that did not give him the impunity to do what he liked. Sometimes, the way he reacted to media interviews, showed some sort of arrogance in his utterances.
KUDUS DESERVES COMMENDATION
Coming to the game itself with Uruguay, the matured manner in which Mohammed Kudus, AFC Ajax Amsterdam player and Ghana’s standout performer in the Black Stars team, spoke to sports journalists in a post-match interview was so commendable. When quizzed about his general impression about the match as well as the penalty missed by Captain Andre Dede Ayew, this was what he had to say, “First I want to really thank Ghanaians. I know they are very disappointed right now, but I really want to thank them for their support from the start to today, even some flew all the way from Ghana to Qatar to support us. It has been incredible and we want to thank them for their prayers and support and we will keep improving as human beings and then we will do better next time”.
On Dede’s missed penalty, he said that was not the ultimate reason for Ghana’s defeat. He, however, said that missed chances including those from him could have changed the outcome of the game and aided Ghana to progress to the Round of 16. These were the intelligent remarks from a young and skillful player who had earlier on won the Budweiser Man-of-the Match award in a game in which Ghana beat South Korea by 3-2. In that hectic encounter, Kudus scored two important goals to earn Ghana the maximum three points, thus placing it initially, above Uruguay and South Korea. He later told the media that, the award had been dedicated to all his players, both on the field and on the bench. That was a matured statement from a youngster.
NURTURING THE YOUNG TALENTS
We have been exited from the ongoing World Cup tournament in Qatar, but we have not been disgraced. We have to put our acts together with these youthful, skillful and talented players and victory will be ours in future tournaments. We have to encourage and nurture these young players to bring honours to our country and to encourage more jubilations from Ghanaians including the Speaker of Parliament, Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin.
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By Charles Neequaye
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
Today, I continue with my narration of personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland, with a focus on Mr Joseph Osei Amoah.
Mr Amoah is one of the senior members of the Ghanaian community in Finland and a top member of the Ghana Union Finland, an association of the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
He is an active and a well-respected person in the Ghanaian community in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah moved to Finland in the mid-1990s, and he has lived in Helsinki all this time.
Accomplishments and honours
It is important to recount accomplishments as part of the success stories of the personalities of Ghanaian descent in Finland in order to highlight their exploits both within the Ghanaian migrant community and in the wider Finnish society.
Mr Amoah holds a Master’s degree in Demography from the University of Helsinki. At the time he came to Finland in 1994, he had majored in Economics at the Bachelor’s level at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Sometimes affectionately called “Chairman” in the Ghanaian migrant community, Mr Osei is a former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) branch in Finland, assuming office around 2015, a few months after the branch was formed, until 2019 when he did not run again for the elections. He helped to bring vibrancy into the NPP Finland branch.
Religious life
Mr Amoah is a prominent member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland. In spite of his busy working life and other responsibilities, he remains a committed member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland.
He plays a key leadership role in the church, which is attended by many Ghanaian migrants and other African migrants, Finns, and those of other nationalities.
His position in Asanteman Finland
Mr Osei Amoah is an outstanding member of the Asanteman Finland, where he is the Gyasehene, a prominent position as a sub-chief in the Asante (and Akan) royal hierarchy, in the functioning of the traditional authority systemgenerally in Ghana.
The Asanteman Finland is an association formed purposely with the aim of supporting each other as well as to ensure unity among its members and others outside of the group.
One of its top priorities of Asanteman Finland is to display the Asante culture in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah finds this as very important since by upholding the traditional culture and heritage, the association enables its members and especially the young ones to get the chance to learn and appreciate Asante and Ghanaian cultural values. They do this through rites such as marriage, the naming ceremony, and death and funeral rites, which makes the people to learn more of their provenance and not forget their origins.
“My point is that, by displaying the traditional heritage it helps people to learn more about their provenance. For, I think it will be embarrassing to go home and see that even the young ones have much knowledge about how to perform certain rites whilst those of us in the diaspora may be deficient in understanding those practices”, he argued. It is also very important for the young ones who are born in Finland to learn what the culture of their original society is, he continued.
The Finnish educational system
Mr Osei has a lot to say about the Finnish educational system, which he sees as very good. “When we came to Finland, education was free. There were library books and manuscripts readily available in the library, and one could print or make as many photocopies as possible for your studies. There was more flexibility. One could read books and write exams on them for the necessary grades in order to complete your studies”. In his opinion, Ghana could learn much from the Finnish system, which is one of the best in the world.
He said the only initial challenge he found in Finland was how to master the Finnish language, without which it was difficult to get a job befitting one’s status after the studies. But things have changed today and there are many English courses so it is easy to study and get a job that matches your studies, especially in the area of ICT, he said.
His role in the Ghanaian community
Mr Osei Amoah has been very active in the Ghanaian community, as I have indicated earlier. He is still very active in the Ghana Union Finland, and has played a leadership in many functions organised by the Union, as a non-governmental organisation for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
Mr Amoah has been a counsellor and mentor who has guided many young Ghanaian migrants on their career paths and has also been part in settling various kinds of conflicts between opposing parties or persons. In conclusion, I would say Mr Osei Amoah has succeeded in embossing his name in the golden pages of visionary Ghanaians in both Sweden and Finland.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
