WHEN IT MATTERED MOST, WE FAILED!!

Over the years, there's been the case of remembrance or celebration and when appropriate it should be done. Different schools of thought have either stated it to be before or after and at large defending their stance.

A little under a week ago, Ghana lost one of its illustrious football icon in Coach E. K. Afranie affectionately called Coach Hene after a short illness. The sports fraternity was saddened by his demise and a lot of condolences were sent to his surviving family and loved ones.

THE LATE COACH E. K. AFRANIE

A few days into his demise, the senior national team of Ghana, the Black Stars had a game to be fulfilled in their quest for a fourth FIFA world cup appearance against Egypt. Fast forward to the match day and some of us if not most of us spectators were expecting the entire team to show their utmost respect or remembrance to this icon of a coach.

Ironically, almost all if not all of the players that featured had been trained or developed by this man who was no more. It would have been prudent and in line to at least wear the black armband as a sign of remembrance to him. Nothing of that sort was done and I don't know who to put the blame on as I post this piece.

Did the management team of the Black Stars ever think about this?

Did the FA ever think about honouring coach Hene at any point prior to the game?

How about the playing body themselves? Did they project it, if they did was it rejected? If it was why and who rejected the proposal?

I am tempted to draw in the Sports ministry but on this day I feel they won't be an appropriate case to attack.

As a case of fact, nothing like this was done and as a nation circled down to the football loving arena must bow their heads in shame why?

Because when it mattered most, we failed as a group in honouring a son of the land who gave his all to serves in that small capacity and you can't deny the fact that he succeeded in that field for the nation.

Take it As It Comes

Confederation of African Football

This blog post was intended to be uploaded during the AFCON competition for which some few reasons delayed it. I am still of the conviction that the motive and lesson then can still be used today as it looks like they still exist in our various national teams.

So enjoy the 'then' 'now' blog post. Nothing is never late when there is a lesson to be learnt i guess right?

Why were Ghanaians so peeved? Don't they think Burkina Faso also deserved to write their own history? Should it always be the so called big boys of Africa?

We were never a force to reckon with from game one. Meanwhile we were telling ourselves what's the need if we don't play well and win because win was all that mattered in a game.

And o Kwasi Appiah, so you boycotted the presser for no reason given because it didn't go your way. That's a shame and a big disgrace to the sport.

Salute to Didier Drogba, who after loosing to the Nigerians went as far as the dressing room to congratulate them and grant an interview to the press stating, who he thought would win the tourney for which he predicted Nigeria.

Information got was that for no reason given the Coach Kwasi Appiah, boycotted the presser. So what the coach of the Black Stars was trying to tell the whole world was that, he didn't know at that stage there had to be an obvious winner as well as looser for one to progress to the next stage of the competition?

Well to some of us, we've had the opinion that the team had always been favoured by the referees and we were not playing any meaningful soccer to deserve such gestures.

For him being a former player, I think he should have known better.

Ghana Football Association

"Well the Black Stars has the opportunity to claim a medal in the 3rd place play off between Mali who we beat in the group stage. Also we should take note of the fact that about a year ago, such a scenario occurred in the AFCON in Gabon where they beat us to the medal after beating them in the group stage of the competition." [From original draft post]. But we lost that spot once again.

Hearts no doubt were broken when Burkina Faso won the semi-final clash against Ghana and for me I am happy for the sport as we can also write the history books that Burkina Faso also played in the final of an AFCON the same way history was made when Cape Verde, Togo, Ethiopia who all made it through to the next stage of the competition.

I love football and especially the Nations cup -AFCON. Let the best team win always.