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Of Ghana’s Black Stars and Code of Conduct
Ayew – Signing the Code of Conduct
Ghana’s Black Stars rolled off their Qatar 2022 World Cup campaign on Thursday against Portugal with an upshot that would unquestionably have many experts of the game talking.
It is the team’s fourth appearance at the Mundial.
The Stars are hoping to carve a gorgeous piece of football in the Arab land, and possibly retrace their halcyon moments which saw them book a quarter-final berth at the 2010 edition in South Africa.
As of the time of filing this piece, the Stars were lacing their boots for their second game against South Korea at the 45,350-capacity Education City Stadium, located in Al Rayyan.
South Korea’s Taegeuk Warriors have qualified for 10 consecutive World Cups, beginning with the 1986 competition. While normally exiting during the group stage, this team could easily reach the knockout stages as their Portuguese manager Paulo Bento, wields a strong roster of veteran players and younger European-based talent that will handle the twinkling lights of Qatar.
Qualification was a relative promenade. South Korea eased through Group H of the Asian Football Confederation’s second round with a 5-0-1 record, surrendering a single goal. The succeeding round was similarly perfunctory: a second-place finish in Group A with a 7-1-2 record, two points behind Iran. The challenging friendly slate over the past year should pay dividends at the final competition.
Ghana, on the other hand, struggled in qualification – only edging out Nigeria’s Super Eagles on the away-goal rule. But the Andre Ayew-led Ghana side have demonstrated in their 2-0 final brush-up win against Switzerland that they could only be underestimated at anybody’s peril.
The discipline, passion, poise, drive and the determination was fully showcased on the field and it is the expectation of Ghanaians that they sustain that virtue throughout their stay in the tournament.
In a bid to maintain this degree of discipline and avert the sins of Brazil 2014 where the Stars exited shamefully in the opening round – amid the scuffles that engulfed the camp, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) last week badgered on all the players, technical and management team to sign a Code of Conduct ahead of the game against Portugal two days ago.
The Code, according to the GFA, enjoins them to be ethically upright, respectful and honest, to have a high level of Integrity, and to uphold the good name of the Black Stars, GFA and Ghana during their stay in Qatar for the global tournament.
It also defines the norms, rules, duties and responsibilities, or proper practices of each member as well as the collective behaviour of the team.
Indeed, Ghana’s run in Brazil was rocked by pervasive reports of indiscipline from officials and players – giving the Ghanaian contingent a dreadful, despicable image.
From their body language and demeanour, it does not look like repeating itself this time around – even before the contingent were made to sign the code.
For now, we can only continue to wish the team well, whilst we hope for the best from the players ahead of the games against South Korea on November 28 and Uruguay on December 2.
By John Vigah
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
