Unfolding Events At 2014 World Cup Brazil

NEWS COMMENTARY ON UNFOLDING EVENTS AT BRAZIL 2014

All that enchants deceives. So it turns out that beneath their
flamboyance, and in the shimmer of painted haircuts and their
trademark celebratory dance, our cozy certainties for victory by the Black Stars at 2014 the Word Cup evaporated in the sweltering heat of Brazil.   

There is nothing surprising about Ghana failing at this World Cup. There was no hand of Suarez to deny us of victory and no-behind-the-scenes anti-African machinations at FIFA to make sure we failed. 

This failure was entirely ours; a Made-in-Ghana defeat. And as sure as our perennial failings are at these major world sporting
events, the ensuing recriminations have been swift, intense, emotional, sometimes petty and personal. What is different and disconcerting is the recklessness with which Black Stars, the FA and the Sports Ministry somehow destroyed themselves on happenings in
their camp, and the image of the whole country in the international
media. How did we go from that gritty and slick performance against Germany to the sad and comical sideshow at the Brazil World Cup where our government was airlifting cash to mollify mutinous  players?  For
the rest us who watched and hoped for the best, are confronted with
questions as to how do we as a nation detach ourselves emotionally from something that essentially has no guarantees for success or even anything tangible to our economy. 

How do we make sure that we do not
disproportionately over-react when we fail? These are tough questions for which we may not have easy answers anytime soon, but it’s important we acknowledge them and find solutions.  Sports, despite its transitory rewards has always been an important nation building mechanism for several civilizations. 

So when people walk away from
their daily grind to watch their teams perform at world events they do so in the expectation that however fractious their internal politics is, their team’s participation will bring their country together. So
collectively we celebrate and in unity we endure the disappointment.
One can remember how Nelson Mandela masterfully used the Rugby World Cup in 1995 to galvanize the races around a one South Africa? 

When used appropriately, sports is an important tool to foster social integration among different groups in nation-states.  If we assume for
a moment that we can justify the myth that we are better at soccer
than everyone, then perhaps the important question we should ask is, are we at the highest levels managing football as a one-sport country should? 

If the horrifying details of player misbehaviour are true,
then we can only ask the question of how the players made the leap
from following team rules to abusing their officials.  The truth is elite sportsmen live in an insular world where logic is driven by money, high rewards and a warped sense of entitlement, but Ghanaian players are acutely aware of how their officials, some of whom have never  played football at highest level, use the game for their own personal and political benefit.

Ghanaian soccer players have always had this deep distrust for FA and Sports Ministry officials who they see as a corrupt bunch who want to take a ride on the backs of their football successes on the field of play. So for them, national pride is incidental to the bigger objective of monetary rewards. 

It is unfortunate  that Ghanaians on whose behalf our soccer players and officials are bickering over money get nothing in return in terms of  tax to boost the country's revenue
or support. Is it too much to ask of our national team to stick to
football without any scandal?  

What Sulley Muntari and Kevin Prince Boateng purportedly did may be wrong, but the officials by their own conduct are the players’ enablers.   

As of now, we do not know whether
the London’s Telegraph pre-World Cup story about top FA officials
conspiring to throw friendly matches is true or not, but it speaks to a larger question of mismanagement and corruption in football administration.   As a nation we need to step back and confront the reality that we do not have the right to participate in  World Cup games, because we always appear not to be prepared for them. 

The game is too important to be left in the hands of people whose definition of success is not in the national interest.  We need the right calibre of people, committed, patriotic to manage this important game professionally and will not be intimidated by the wealth of players.

BY KOFI OPARE-ADDO.