Open letter to Andre Ayew

First of all congratulations for leading ‘our national team’ to victory in Mauritius, which meant ‘we’ book a ticket to Gabon — our seventh successive appearance in the tournament.

I hear prior to the your departure to Mauritius, you said: “This past one and a half year, it’s been difficult between the Black Stars and fans, to be honest.

“For me as a leader and with other leaders and my colleagues, it’s very painful. When we played against Mozambique, the stadium wasn’t full but when Hearts of Oak played Kotoko, I was in France but I saw the stadium was full – it’s painful.” I see!

I know you remember this month very well. It is the month you and your colleagues tore the hearts of Ghanaians apart. It is the month you and your team mates, as my former colleague, Fiifi Anaman put it, ‘stabbed the nation in cold blood with their (your) selfish, mercenary-like attitude.

“In an appearance fee delay situation that would have eventually been resolved one way or the other, the Stars (you and your colleagues) chose the obsession for money over patriotism, shameful impulsiveness over responsible patience, heartlessly turning (your) their back on the nation.”

The hearts of Ghanaians palpitates when they reminisce the day the demigods we made despite their inability to stand up against the best in the continent for about 33 years sewed the smock of shame and wore before the glaring eyes of the globe.

If the aura of rejection is ‘painful and difficult’, it was was more ‘painful and difficult’ when the ordinary Ghanaian unconditional support was insensitively abused by your unpatriotic show in Brazil.

Ghanaians didn’t rise against the national team for nothing, we are expressing hatred because we had an underlying love that we feel was betrayed.

We were aware of your demands before kicking a ball, but were negligibly bothered. You agitated for money without fear or favour because you should be paid to play for the country, the fans have also withdrawn their support that no one pays them to undertake without fear or favour.

Most of you have turn preachers, saying, ‘the relationship between the Black Stsrs is synonymous to married couples,” and you’re seeking for forgiveness, but you have forgotten when you had the platform to apologize to your partner, you point blankly told us the team’s demands were justified.

You said Ghanaians filled the stadium when Hearts of Oak hosted Asante Kotoko. Yes they did. It was the highest we’ve had of late. But you kno why, Ghanaians love football, and we have chosen to throw our weight behind our local clubs to grow our football.

No Ghanaian club can afford to pay a player $ dollars a month, but you’re rest assured that you will earn ten times that within 90 minutes provided you win.
The crowd you saw was just a testimony that there is a ‘palpable discord’ between the Black Stars and the football-loving fans.

If football fans choose Hearts and Kotoko encounters over the national team, they have every right to. Until Ghanaians are made to understand that the Black Stars are not draining the pockets of the ordinary Ghanaian to enrich themselves without giving us anything back, then the team should be ready to embrace the negativity from the fans.