AAG: Ghanaians celebrate Meteors defeat

Algiers, July 11, GNA -While coach Jones Attuquqyefio and his charges were licking their wounds after losing 0-1 to their Cameroonian counterparts in their opening match at the 9th All Africa Games in a match played in Bourmedes, 35 kilometres east of Algiers, many Ghanaian athletes and administrators celebrated in the Games Village at Ben Aknoun.

The general feeling of those who rejoiced over the loss of the Meteors was that they had received all the financial backing and attention from officialdom, while other sports received little attention.

Administrators and athletes alike, who for obvious reasons craved for anonymity wished the Meteors lost their next match so that they could return home early.

'Every time they pamper them while we have to go begging for our needs despite the fact that they are chasing only one medal, while we can deliver as many as six, seven or eight medals," one high ranking administrator said.

The dislike of the rest of the team was fuelled by rumours making the rounds that the Meteors and the Princesses had rejected the poor accommodations offered them by the hosts at the Games Village at Ben Aknoun, a surbub of the Algerian capital, which now houses the rest of the team and many other contingents from other countries.
There is indeed a lot of apprehension about the type of accommodation provided as athletes and officials, including top brass professionals attached to the teams are housed in small cubicles with student beds.
Worse still, the dormitory like accommodation is bereft of anything comfortable as there are no access television sets and no communication facilities at the entire village.
Athletes and officials are restricted to the Village and are not allowed to go out unless with police pilot due to security reasons. Accreditation for athletes and officials, which the National Sports Council (NSC) had applied for about three months ago from Accra was still being chased by officials, on the third after arrival in Algiers