Sports
Stop this illusion; we’re no longer Ghana!
• Ghana has not won the Nations Cup since 1982
Decades back, Ghana football was a sheer delight to behold – combining finesse and aggression to the approbation of the entire contingent and the world at large.
Those were the halcyon era where Ghana almost effortlessly crushed all that crossed its path, culminating in four Africa Cup of Nations conquests – the last one coming in 1982. The Black Stars had won the trophy in 1978 for keeps.
It was only a matter of course that Ghana was nicknamed the Brazil of Africa, referring to the Brazilian national team that won the World Cup for keeps after its third conquest in 1970 – as defined by FIFA President Jules Rimet in 1930.
Come to think of it, the Stars have failed to win the Nations Cup grail ever since its last feat some 41 years ago. Even though the nation made some massive gains in youth football, we could not hold competition at the senior level by the scruff of the neck. We have never been consistent. Glow today and glum tomorrow!
Egypt that had clinched the trophy only two times when we were four-time champions, are now seven-time winners, whilst Cameroon are now five-time champions, having won the first coronet in 1984.
Worst of it all is that, we still consider ourselves giants of African football, and it is that illusion, get beaten embarrassingly by teams that are deemed minnows.
As far back as 1994, an unknown band of players from little known East African Burundi beat an Anthony Yeboah-led Ghana 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier, in the then capital Bujumbura. The world was in total shock. Nobody believed the result.
It was a rude awakening for Ghana football; at least, it thought us bitter lessons. One: we should not underestimate the strength of our opponents. Two: the gulf of difference between the teams at the apex and those at the bottom of the African game, has narrowed tremendously, and lastly we are no longer the Gullivers as we used to be.
Indeed, it is very lucid that we are failing to accept the fact that other nations – who were then playing second fiddle to us, have caught up or even overtaken us. It is one bitter reality we need to accept now to enable us re-engineer our football.
Only last Sunday, our locally-assembled side – known as the Black Galaxies, were beaten 2-1 by Island side Madagascar in their opening Group C match of the ongoing Championship of African Nations (CHAN) tournament in Algeria.
In terms of team profile, the Malagasy are nowhere near Ghana. But things have changed and the high time we got that to sink deeply, the better for us.
That defeat comes on the heels of a similar loss to minnows Comoros Islands who drubbed a near star-studded Ghana team 3-2 in last year’s Africa Cup of Nations played in Cameroon. Ghana needed to account for the Islanders to qualify to the next stage of the tournament. They failed – and the shocking slump led to a distressingly calamitous first round exit.
The Galaxies’ loss to Madagascar should serve as clarion call to our football managers to work like a Trojan, break their back and fix our football.
Interestingly, the other Group C game between defending champions Morocco and Sudan did not take place because Morocco failed to turn up – due to the political cataclysm with host nation Algeria.
Morocco and Algeria are locked in a rancorous rivalry partly over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, where the Algerian-backed Polisario Movement seeks an independence referendum.
The situation has whittled down the group to three teams – meaning that anything aside victory in the Galaxies’ next game against Sudan, could blow them out of contention.
Well, whatever the upshot of that game is, may not really be the issue. The issue is that we have got to fix our domestic football to be able to build a formidable league where players would be surplus for requirement – or be made to battle fiercely for positions.
But first and foremost, we have to accept that we are no longer the best on the continent. We are no longer the Brazilians of African football. That sobriquet was surrendered long ago! We may have qualified for the World Cup four times; may have dazzled our way to the quarters of the Mundial; may have been the only African country to win the FIFA Under-20 World Cup (2009), but we should admit our football has sunk.
Of course, it is not a despairing situation, but we have a really tough row to hoe.
PlainTalk with John Vigah
Ghana Premier League side, Nations FC, may have suffered the drop in the just ended Premier League and are destined for a fresh campaign in the Division One League (DOL).
But they stand a huge chance of remaining in the elite stage of the game as they face Dreams FC in an epic MTN FA Cup final at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium tomorrow at 6pm.
Dreams FC have been there before; going ahead to taste the honours in the 2022-23 season after defeating King Faisal.
Coming from a season that saw them crawl from the initial stages of the league to finish on a respectable fourth position, they come in as strong favourites to double their honours in the nation’s second top football competition.
History favours them in this regard. On their first final, they conquered and based on this, connoisseurs of the game have tipped them to make it ‘two-on-two.’
But Nations FC have been empowered by the age-old adage that “He that is down need fear no fall.”
Nothing can be worse than suffering relegation and exiting the limelight as far as exposure is concerned.
But the FA offers a decent opportunity to make them stay relevant.
Conquering Dreams FC would not just make them MTN FA Cup champions. It will grant them the prestigious slot to represent Ghana in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) second tier club competition- the Confederations Cup.
With Dreams FC harbouring the same ambitions, the stage is, therefore, set for a final that promises to be explosive and uncompromising.
The situation of Nations FC might have come to many as a surprise, considering their promising start to the season, with their defence especially, marshalled by Black Stars defender, Razak Simpson, and colleague central defender, Raymond Grippman, earning a lot of reviews.
But despite the struggles they endured at certain times of their campaign, the MTN FA Cup always provided slices of good fortunes as they managed to navigate their way to the final.
Road to the top
Nations FC began the MTN FA Cup competition on a promising note, enjoying some good runs with a win over DOL Zone Two side, Ebony FC, in the Round of 64.
That landed them in a tricky encounter with another high-flying Zone Two candidate, AshantiGold SC, a side that eventually won the title from the zone to qualify to the Premier League, but escaped.
At the round of 16 stage, they encountered and defeated Ghana Premier League side, Swedru All Blacks, 2-1 to gain progression to the quarter final stage where they edged Berekum Chelsea on penalties.
A dicey semi-final awaited them against Aduana FC in Swedru. It was a game Nations was given little chance to escape considering Aduana FC’s form but once again, they conquered to secure a final berth.
In total, the Abrankese-based club have scored eight goals and conceded only two throughout the competition, making them one of the strongest defensive sides in the tournament.
For Dreams FC, they defeated Division One League Zone Three side, Semper Fi, 2-1 to progress to the next stage of the competition where they accounted for Division Two side, Asanska FC, 2-0.
That handed them a quarterfinal berth where they faced Inter Allies and drew one all before winning 4-3 on penalties.
The happiest moment in their success story was a 3-2 semi-final win over GPL winners, Medeama SC.
With that feat, Dreams have been touted as potential winners as the match comes at a time the Nations FC side may be psychologically down over the weight of the challenge they face in the next season.
However, the competition has gain notoriety for not following any form guide and outcomes mostly coming as major surprises.
In this regard, Dreams may be tipped as favourite candidates but though Nations are wounded, the stakes could revive an insatiable desire to apply the brakes to turn the dreams of Dreams FC into a nightmare.
Support
The support from MTN Ghana has no doubt improved competition among the clubs with the attractive incentive packages for participating clubs.
MTN Ghana, which is celebrating 30 years of operations in Ghana, formally became headline sponsors of the Ghana FA Cup in the 2010/2011 football season after the competition had returned from an eight-year hiatus.
The first edition under MTN sponsorship was won by Nania FC, who defeated Asante Kotoko 1–0 in the final at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Since then, the competition has been known as the MTN FA Cup, with MTN renewing its sponsorship several times — in 2013, 2017, 2020 and again for subsequent seasons.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Stars have opened camp in Cardiff ahead of next week’s international friendly against Wales.
The team is being taken through training drills by head coach Carlos Queiroz.
Thirteen players trained at Dragon Park on Monday, with others expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
They include Ernest Nuamah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jordan Ayew, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Elisha Owusu, Gideon Mensah, Marvin Senaya, Jerome Opoku, Benjamin Asare, Joseph Anang, Solomon Agbasi, and Alidu Seidu.
The Black Stars will train in Cardiff for one week ahead of the international friendly against Wales on Tuesday, June 2, before traveling to the United States of America.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will use the period to assess his players before naming his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Twenty-six players will be submitted to FIFA on Monday, June 1, as mandated by the competition regulations.
The Black Stars are drawn in Group L with Panama, England, and Croatia. They will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto before facing England and Croatia in their other group matches.
