Black Stars Vrs Lesotho: The Good, The Bad And ...

...The Damn Right Trivial.

Very contrary to the expectations of several Ghanaians, the match between Ghana and Lesotho turned out to be quite eventful. Prior to the match, the only attraction was perhaps how the new Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah was going to perform. In the past, games against Lesotho have passed with very little funfair, most football fans will only ask or read about the scores the next day. The match played on Friday however was an exception; there was lots of passion, lots of goals, lots of disappointments, and oh yes, lots of drama. In this article, I will outline the good, the bad and the damn right funny events that played out at the Babayara stadium.

THE GOOD.

I agree with Edison Arantes do Nascimento (Pele), when he said that football without goals is like a desert without sand. Yes goals are the most important statistic in football and on Friday that statistic was very pronounce. For the first time in my life, I had the privilege of watching my beloved Black Stars put 7 goals past their opponents (we are really in ‘unprecedented’ times). Even more amazing was the quality of the goals- talk of Sulley’s stunner, Atsu’s cheeky chip and Adiyah’s enviable half volley. Accompanying these fantastic goals was some eye popping buildup play ably orchestrated by the prodigal son-Sulley Muntari. The Black Stars rather uncharacteristically played to a well rehearsed set pattern, there was lots of wing play and this was key, considering the ‘crocodiles’ obviously drove their ‘bus’ to the pitch. Even more impressive was how eagerly the Stars recovered possession any time the ‘crocodiles’ had the ball.

The level of commitment and aggression from the players is also worth mentioning. Unlike on previous occasions, the stars did not exhibit any form of complacency even when they were up by 4 goals, the usual unnecessary step-overs, back flicks and ‘ketche’ were absent this term. There was also a lot of communication between Kwasi Appiah and Konadu, something we have not seen in a while. The norm has always been to see the white coaches crack their brains all alone, with the assistant black coach sitting lazily in the dug-out waiting for instructions from his boss. I also saw a lot of communication between the players and the coach, why not? After all the dreaded language barrier has been eliminated.

With all the positives from the game, many will agree with me that the most prominent legacy from this game is the discovery of a certain Christian Atsu. The young man who plays for Rio Ave (on loan from Fc Porto), was hitherto unknown, but on Friday, he left a lasting impression on the minds and hearts of many Ghanaian football lovers. A new star is born, screamed one commentator on radio. The young man impressed me with his deft touches, his incisive passing and his ability to shoot from 30 to 50 yards. I am cautiously optimistic, that the young man is a positive addition to the Black Stars set up.

THE BAD

Notwithstanding all the fantastic play and great goals on Friday, certain events on and off the pitch made it less of a perfect day. Like I have mentioned already, I was personally amazed by the number of goals the boys scored, however you will agree with me that the score line could have been more devastating. The worst culprit was Dominic Adiyah, the young striker missed numerous goal scoring opportunities and at a point I had no choice but to wonder if he had also been infested with the incurable ‘Gyan’ virus. It looks like we may have to wait a little longer for another Tony Yeboah.

Also, Security at the Babayara stadium was not the best, I saw lots of journalist, fans and ‘football big men’ running around the inner perimeter whiles the match was ongoing. And did anyone see the number of dignitaries that lined up to exchange pleasantries with the players before kickoff? Why do these guys think their presence on the pitch is a motivation to the players? This arrangement is a total waste of time and the GFA must take a second look at it. We pay to watch football and not to watch a bunch of so called ‘big men’ lining up to advertise their pot bellies.

I have also been wondering why the match was played on Friday, was it a FIFA directive? Or was it an arrangement by the GFA to get the players well rested for the match against Zambia? Whatever the case may be it was pretty obvious that playing the match on a Friday affected the number of spectators to a large extent.

THE TRIVIAL

On Friday, I added 50 cedis to my fast depleting purse, I successfully placed a bet that Coach Kwasi Appaih was going to spot a pair of suit. Do not get me wrong, he was looking rather smart in his attire. But with temperatures well over 30 degrees Celsius and the enormous pressure, our good friend would have done himself a lot of good if he had jumped into a pair of jeans and t-shirts. Can you blame him? Who would not want to impress on his first day at the office, especially when your employers are not quite convinced of your credentials. I was happy at least that he did not wear a tire in addition, the combination did not help CK and Odartey that much at Eleven Wise. And someone please advise the players to take it easy on the coach’s jacket when they are celebrating, he will need it for the next match.

Kwabena Yeboah has always been my favorite commentator, just like crocodiles are my favorite animals (but certainly not green crocodiles). Sometimes it’s better to bow out when the crowd is loudest and I think Kwabena should do exactly that. His commentary has become quite routine, his punch lines have evolved into glorified clichés and sometimes you feel like muting the television set and guessing what he is saying. And am sure a lot of you will guess right.

Just when we all thought we have had enough drama for a day, the match officials stopped the match because the flood lights had failed to light up. Not too long all sorts of stories were being bundled around. The lousiest of them being that some NPP guys had stolen the bulbs or that they had bribed the ECG to sabotage the match. As funny as this may sound, the government or better still shadow president- Koku Anyidoho, seemed to buy into the rumors. In a rather ‘unprecedented’ move, Koku was on Joy announcing the immediate suspension of the Ashanti regional director of ECG (a post that apparently doesn’t exist in the ECG organogram). His reason guess what was that the president was upset. Koku admitted later that the president was not a party to this decision, we all knew that from the beginning…lol. Our president is a God fearing man who is not quick to anger. Indeed am certain he did not watch the match, he was busy thinking about the next school under tree he was going to eradicate.

If anyone has the contact numbers of Asamoah Gyan, Essien and Boateng, please tell them that their heads have been rolled because the president is upset with their self imposed absence from the team. This is an election year and such unpatriotic behaviors will not be tolerated.

BY: Kwame Yeboah

pinsonchapta@yahoo.com