I cannot find a point in history when the black stars chalked a win over a non-African country that is not a North American/Caribbean nation, an Eastern European country or an Asian country at the very earliest – since the turn of the 90s.
Follow me carefully dear reader. This though may not stick out like the sore-roting thumb it suppose to, it’s deeply worrying. Since Ghana made its debut in 2006 in Germany, it has been one of Africa’s impressive sides at the World Cup. It’s fair to say they have achieved this by combining entertaining football with genuine West African flair to eke out points from some carefully drilled sides.
I stand to be corrected, yet dare you to correct me, that inasmuch as this article was written in haste and with very little reference to highly accurate facts – not even the so called illustrious days of Abedi Ayew and Anthony Yeboah to the more precocious stock of Michael Essien and Stephen Appiah did Ghana manage a halt to this run.
There is a voracious desire in Ghanaian football fans for the semifinal barrier to be broken down and trampled upon to possibly the holy grail itself in Qatar.
However, the road is unsightly strewn with countries from the more traditional footballing areas of the World, South America and largely the West. Ghana’s best result against Portugal, Greece, Denmark, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, Italy, and even Norway, Iceland, Turkey, Austria and Australia has been a draw.
Black Stars only wins have come against Latvia, Serbia, the Czech republic all Eastern European countries, the USA, Jamaica, Nicaragua all North American/Caribbean countries, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, all Asian countries. It doesn’t bode well.
In Group H where Ghana is housed in Qatar, the Black stars play Portugal and Uruguay, two countries from the bunch Ghana has never managed more than a draw against. I let this known to a friend yesterday afternoon and his answer almost as if a repartee “this time we have more players born in the West than ever”
More players born in the West than ever? One cannot easily desert the obvious sense wrapped in his answer. If you are going to the World Cup with almost 9 players with Western European provenances and early training, they certainly are inherently well-disposed and privy to their ‘counterparts” way of coming by results, consequently their thinking pattern.
For the first time in the history of the Black stars they are going to represent Ghana with just over 60% Ghanaian borns. Given that only South Korea is a familiar whipping-enemy in Group H, it fits every sense that the team is represented more now by foreign born players than ever.
Whether this is auspicious or technically wise turns heavily on how well Otto Addo harnesses the talents available to him with the most tactically appropriate instructions and guidance to help break this extending streak.
For the purpose of this article to have been realized, by the time the Switzerland game is over, even though a friendly game, Switzerland should be beaten with some good football. An outcome that will not only reflect the team’s readiness to compete in and survive Group H but to make a deep run in the tournament.
Source: Nana Kweku Bosomtwi
