Sports Features of Tuesday, 21 May 2019

Source: footballmadeinghana.com

Has Ghana’s quest to win the AFCON become spiritual?

Ghanaians need the AFCON trophy, and by extension, it will be a dream come true for the Black Star players.

But has the desire and quest for the Black Star to end the 37-year old trophy-less journey turned scientific managerial approach into spiritual battles?

Despite having a management team in charge of the Black Stars, with a Normalization Committee, impregnated with men of high repute and integrity, it leaves little to be desired as everything about the team ahead of the AFCON is turning spiritual.

Suffice it to say that if Ghanaians think the battle for the Black Stars to win the AFCON is spiritual, then we have no duty in giving players and the technical team huge bonuses and appearance fees for the tournament, rather Facebook spiritual champions Naa Tia and his associates must be contracted.

I was moved to patch this piece together when I read in dismay, Black Stars goalkeepers’ trainer Richard ‘Olele’ Kingson claiming famous Nigerian ‘Man of God’, Prophet TB Joshua can help Ghana to win the trophy.

I was not only startled but hugely shockprised that in this era of science and technology, an experienced former national star who is the head of the goalkeeping department will be making such public comments.

I will not question the spiritual proficiency of TB Joshua but what will he also do for Nigeria, the country of his birth, if he can help Ghana to win? And Nigeria have not won the World Cup?

Olele’s comment must not be swept under the carpet as it appears to be a revelation of the master plan of the Normalization Committee.

The focus of the current management is an over concentration on spirituality than physical preparation of the team impregnated with scientific and modern technological data.

Such thinking underpinned the decision to sack second deputy coach Maxwell Konadu and Equipment Officer, Ismail Hamidu.

Insiders say that Coach Kwasi Appiah was adamant to see the two axed from the technical team with claims that they are spiritually ‘dealing’ against the team.

Not long ago, the President of the Ghana FA Normalization Committee Dr. Kofi Amoah was on live TV telling the whole world that Ghana have won the AFCON spiritually.

Has the battle turned spiritual instead of being tactical, technical, scientific and technological?

Information from some colleagues in Kumasi indicate that a journey in the spiritual world has started in the Ashanti Region for Coach Kwasi Appiah to win the AFCON.

Mynewsgh.com has reported that an aide to Asamoah Gyan, Kwaku Obeng (Maestro) has revealed that Coach Kwasi Appiah wants to hand the captains armband to Andre Ayew because a spiritualist had told him (Appiah) Gyan can’t lead Ghana to win the trophy, hence the decision to make Gyan General Captain and Andre Ayew Substantive Captain.

The whole AFCON battle has been reduced to spirituality.

I, however, wonder how Benin, Niger and India have not won the AFCON, and why Nigeria are calling their best players to fight for the AFCON trophy.