Kwasi Appiah’s baptism marvellous and graceful, but...
If the national football team, Black Stars, were a religious group, I believe their followers who fellowship with them will have cause to renew their faith every year, no matter the new and fresh look of their leadership.
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The second coming of Kwasi Appiah looked like a day to sing "hallelujah" all over, both on the field and in various homes where people gathered to watch last Sunday's action on the tele. I watched it comfortably from the Stanas Pub front seat inside SCC at New Weija, right after church service where we had wholeheartedly prayed for the success of the Black Stars.
All of a sudden, the Garden City came alive and the Baba Yara Stadium had its full capacity even to the surprise of many unbelievers, a welcome sign of love for our new local coach and a demonstration of faith in our own.
Coach Kwasi Appiah had earlier pleaded with the nation for support, and the support came in what looked like pentecostal grace, and the Black Stars’ response to the drums and trumpets was so loud to confuse the Ethiopian national team, the Walias.
In the end, the young goalkeeper in their post got so tired in the last 20 minutes that he had to be replaced to ensure that the 5-0 scoreline would not get worse, and they went back home thanking their stars; realising that they had met their meter.
What a day of revival, a day that we really said goodbye to Ghana’s former Israeli coach, Avram Grant, and welcomed our own man. I believe there was a shortage of drinkable beverages in the nearby spots around Baba Yara as the usual celebration went on all through the night.
Yes, the man we all longed for has been baptised and the whole nation is with him in body and spirit. But that was the beginning of the long journey, as the assignment and the target set for him are there for all followers to acknowledge.
As of now, it appears the journey to AFCON 2019 in Cameroun has apparently been given the green light, and at all cost it will be fulfilled. But then, the greatest task is not the African contest, but the other mandate which looks almost impossible and needs all the prayers we can offer. And that is the 2018 Mundial in Russia which we have allowed to slip from our hands with Egypt bouncing head with Uganda going closely behind.
The gap is wide, with Egypt in a comfortable lead with six points against the Black Stars’ one point. Uganda have a considerable chance with four points, but will face difficulty against the desperate Pharaohs who last responded to the World Cup call as far back as 1990, that is 27 years ago.
Of course, that long distance does not come near the 36 years that Ghana had to wait for her turn to be at the World Cup, looking back at the year 1970 when FIFA granted Africa a single slot for the competition. Africa has a taste for the Mundial, and I am very happy with the effort of the Egyptians at this stage of their qualifiers. But we cannot ignore the bright beginning which speaks volumes about what is ahead of us.
A lot of football analysts think the Ethiopian challenge is not the criteria to determine the full strength of the Stars as the team did not sincerely exhibit their fullest potential, and the Walias offered little scare.
As to whether this first test is enough motivation to determine whether the target set for Kwasi will spell positive signs, we are yet to satisfy ourselves. The Ethiopian defence was porous and their forward failed to impress. Now for the African qualifiers, the next opponents are the Kenyans and the Sierra Leonians. One can easily conjecture the strength of the two sides looking back at their pedigree. The Black Stars have every right to be sure of their success in that respect, but there are some plain facts about some controversies that are rearing their ugly heads. One of them is the case of the last substitution of the captain, Asamoah Gyan, and the change of the captain's armband.
It was detected that the band had been customised with the picture of the captain printed on it, something that sparked some outrageous comments from the public. The larger side of the supporters think something must be done about this situation to settle all matters of disunity among the players, to restore their love as without that, their forward march will be jeopardised.
That problem has been dismissed by the coach, but it needs a good and professional settlement for the good of the team.
It will do us a lot of good if such problems are not swept under the carpet, but settled once and for all. The FA must be bold to call a spade a spade and put things in their proper perspective.
That will help to improve the confidence in the Black Stars and ease the tension that will come in their subsequent assignments. To Kwasi Appiah, I say kudos for the smart way he butchered Ethiopia in his first assignment. God bless!