Why selective Justice will kill our Black Stars

Sometime last year when I wrote about Michael Essien and why we should save him some flak for his decision to temporarily stay away from the National team, some people especially colleagues got me wrong or maybe the missed the point.

Today the subject is not Essien but the generality of the Black Stars and why/how selective justice could undermine our quest to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Earlier this week Coach Goran Stevanovic announced his 22 man squad for the double header against Sudan and Nigeria and conspicuously missing from the squad were goalkeeper Richard Kingson and Andre Dede Ayew.
Dede’s exclusion has since been the subject of various interpretations which I know would be resolved before long. What is however uncertain is the future of Richard Kingson and the obvious way we seem to have left him to his fate in these trying moments of his career.

I admit that no position in the Black Stars team is a property of any individual, that’s far from the argument and just so you know, I am not saying Kingson should be Ghana’s first choice goalie in the face of his inactiveness.

What am struggling to understand is how a country which is quick to criticize sportsmen of not being patriotic turns its back on the same sportsmen in desperate times, perhaps patriotism can only be required of an individual and not a Nation.

As a Nation we have hurt too many sportsmen by our actions and inaction. Often we have left athletes in the cold in their darkest and weakest moments.

Richard Kigson may not speak out loud against this injustice but if for nothing at all, he was our safest pair of hands at two successive FIFA World Cups (2006 and 2010) and the last thing he deserves is to be shunned like a contagious disease.

Stephen Appiah enjoyed our unflinching support when he was club less and a shadow of the Tornado we knew during the last World Cup, so why not Olele?

In my opinion, we are painting a picture that alludes that you are one of us only when things are rosy. Even if Olele won’t be in post for the double header, he deserves a place on the bench ahead of Ernest Sowah and Daniel Adjei (no disrespect to the duo)

Coach Goran Stevanovis calls the shots and i respect his position that inactive players will have no space in his team, i pray we dont shift goal posts in the future.

Before you conclude that I am wrong, think of Sammy Kuffuor, C.K Akunnor, Laryea Kingson, Sammy Adjei and many more and ask yourself if we treated them well in the last days of the careers. Lets not live like the folks in the proverbial ‘Animal farm kingdom”.

Don’t forget that he who seeks equity must come with clean hands