Whither are we drifting?
In reality, it is not easy to keep that notable high profile standards in sports for decades and so is it equally difficult to prove to the sporting world that the steps needed to climb to the topmost to maintain the successes and sustain the same golden handshake and applause from other challengers could be there for several decades.
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As at now, can we confidently say that, apart from the highly competitive "el-clasico" sold to fans at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi last Sunday afternoon between the nation's most glamorous clubs, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko, which put followers on the tenterhooks for over 90 minutes and earned each side a point, there is nothing else to boast of in this our Land of Gold?
That was a match which had a hidden agenda for Hearts to declare an "ascension day" and Kotoko to save their highly enthusiastic coach, Michael Osei. And for the untouchable love for the coach and their club, Kotoko had to fight to death on that day, while for Hearts, the determination to return to their championship status after more than six years in the wilderness, forced their followers to pray unceasingly to the end.
The match compared favourably with some of the English Premier League (EPL) top flight competitions for its speed, determination and no-nonsense tackles. Referee William Agbovi stated categorically that he was forced to do one of the greatest running in his career as a referee.
Not only that, the beleaguered Michael Osei knew that a slip in that match at that critical stage, especially after receiving that shameful and unbelievable 1-4 defeat at the hands of Ebusua Dwarfs last Wednesday afternoon at the Robert Mensah Stadium at Siwdu, Cape Coast, would definitely lead to crisis and possibly crumble his beloved Kotoko.
That is how far football can go in this country, and one would have wished that the thrilling standards reached by our other sportsmen in the late 60s and 70s would be maintained if not improved upon to keep the image of this nation high. But if we have nursed the desire to keep our old records alive, I am sorry to state that we are heading for a fool's paradise, disaster and disappointment. For all I know, in an Olympic year like we have now, the greatest expectation of all lovers of sports is to see their high profile sportsmen break new grounds and raise their standards in records.
But here we are, throwing our hands in despair with very little hope to make any impact at the Rio Olympic Games which commences on Friday, August 5. Right now, there are a few of our disciplines that have made the Olympic mark, yet the question that comes to mind is whether we are sure to win any medal, considering the clear difference in the present and the past marks?
All serious nations are gearing up for success, and are taking part in the ongoing Muller Anniversary Games taking place in London. Has anybody paused to ask where our athletes are doing their serous training?
Over there in London, all the athletics legends are parading to make impact on all sporting events. The Jamaicans are there to display their prowess, and the six-time Olympic record holder, Usain Bolt, has promised to break more records in his favourite events.
However, down here our federations are knocking their heads with the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) over a purported Congress scheduled to happen last Saturday at theTheodosia Okoh National Hockey Stadium. And when the congress was ready to take off with all the dignitaries assembled, an injunction to halt the proceedings was served to the chagrin of the organisers.
The congress was supposed to iron out problems of how our selected sportsmen in all disciplines would make the journey to Brazil, but here is the situation that could disturb our participation in the Games.
On the football front, can anyone be brave enough to tell me how come that the national under-20 surrendered their chances of qualifying for the 2017 African Championship slated for Zambia next year to their Senegal counterparts who hammered them 3-1 in Dakar two weeks ago. The Senegalese came down last Friday to deliver the coup-de-grace at Cape Coast? And with that failure, are we aware that we have fluffed the chance of taking part in the next Under-20 World Cup which has the Black Satellites on their list of previous winners, following that success in Egypt in 2009? How could our team fail to improve upon the record set by Andre Dede Ayew and others seven years ago? Problems of such nature need to be properly addressed, and the question still being asked is "whither are we drifting"?
Again, was it not the same day that our women national team, the Black Queens, received an 11-0 humiliation at the hands of Germany in a friendly encounter? One may be tempted to ask what sort of preparation our women did after accepting the invitation, and was it proper to fly to Germany without any sort of trials to determine their preparedness for such an encounter?
Did the nation check up to see the reason why Germany did not choose any opponent apart from the Black Queens, and what will the Germans rate us after walloping our women 11-0, something which must be a serious indictment on our football for ages?
Engaging in such an errand to gain some few dollars with the reputation of the country at stake would need a serious probe, and of course, whoever approved of that game without ensuring proper preparation must be brought to book.
What is ailing Ghana to rush into such disgrace, and in which way can we be sure that the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro would not be a serious disaster as our sportsmen move in to receive disgrace, due to poor preparations.
Let's hope for the better!