Money, money, money – does it ruin one’s chances?
If I were asked what my favourite quotation of the week was last week, I would not have hesitated to say that it is the one attributed to the GFA President in Brazil last week after the Ghana Black Stars lost 2-1 to Portugal in their final group games last Thursday.
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Linking it to the poor show and early exit of the Black Stars from the 2014 World Cup tournament and for which reason they were not able to qualify for the round of 16, the GFA President is reported by the Daily Graphic of Friday, June 27, 2014 to have attributed it to the “appearance fee syndrome”.
He went on to say, “Money, money, money had been the refrain of the players and it is a pity they allowed this to ruin our World Cup”.
But what was wrong in the first place for the players to have demanded what was dutifully theirs, their “wages” which had been promised them God knows how many times and from low and high places? Do we not labour expecting returns for our services?
Despite the flaws recorded in the opening match with the USA, the Black Stars seemed to have warmed up for the game and played exceptionally well during the game with Germany. Going into their final group game, which was very critical for our survival and move into the round of 16, it was expected that morale at the camp would have been lifted by their handlers, including redeeming what we had promised them.
So if it was wrong for the players to have put their compensations ahead of their commitment to win for motherland, it was just as bad to have created the picture that we had the money stashed somewhere by whoever made that decision to charter a flight at another cost to carry a whopping US$3 million in cash across oceans to Brazil at the last minute. If it could have been done, why did we not do it earlier and without drawing the world’s attention to something as ridiculous as that.
Ghanaians came together as usual to support Ghana’s win. However, the extent at which money was flaunted in our faces in our current economic situation could have told a different story. The Ministry of Youth and Sports could afford to carry as many as 500 cheerleaders to Brazil for that length of time with accommodation and feeding costs inclusive.
On top of that, we could also afford to carry officials who outnumbered the players to go to Brazil to do exactly what? We are yet to know. If there was money available to pay for all those expenses, then perhaps for the players, there was money sitting somewhere to dutifully fulfil all other commitments necessary for Ghana’s good chances at the game.
If in an establishment the management requests commitment from the workforce at a time when there is no money, then management has no moral right in another breath to be executing extravagant expenses and expect the workforce to look on. Our going to this World Cup, unfortunately, did not show that we were in need and sacrifices were the order.
However, if truly the incessant demand for money ruined our chances at the World Cup, then the GFA President’s moan could be a caution to all- those in management- public and private- in our private lives, in our churches and in signing contracts- that money, indeed, can ruin many chances, including the sanctity of relationships.
Sadly, money seems to rule everything now, to the extent that enmity, envy, greed and other daring money-related crimes have reared their ugly heads in our society. People are going into jobs and instantly, they want to be driving expensive vehicles, owning homes, holding two or more android phones and wearing designer clothes.
Corruption in public offices seems to be the order and the amount of monies that get cited in some of the reported cases of corruption gets one dazed. People are looking for shortcuts to make quick money and, in the name of ‘sakawa’, would go and sleep in cemeteries if that is where the prospect of making quick money lies.
Despite the intense campaigns against hard drugs that are destroying lives, people are still taking the chance to try it. People are being killed and maimed all for the love of money.
So, it is right that the love of money is the root of all evils. Money can destroy lives and tear families apart. Money may also ruin one’s chances if not handled well and, in the eyes of the GFA President, that is what might have collapsed our team’s chances of getting to the round of 16.
Coming home early is perhaps a blessing because we really need to save all that money we may have spent in the next couple of weeks if we had stayed on in Brazil. Hopefully, when the dust is finally settled, we would have learnt very hard lessons to go into the next World Cup in 2018, money or no money.
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