THE MOMENT of truth is here. After all the training, all the injuries, all the quarrels about unpaid bonuses and all the arm-twisting on player release by club managers, 16 of Africa’s finest national teams have said their prayers and are about to line up for battle.
In the great battle, we shall see the greatest of Africa’s sons whose images regularly light our TV screens. It has to be sublime - and I mean soccer really sublime.
They must not hold anything back from us. We want to see the new cliché for patriotism for successful people, “giving it back to the community,” manifested at Ghana 2008.
We want to see the old guards such as Nwankwo Kanu, Rigobert Song and Hossam Hassan. Importantly, we do not want to miss any from the current crop of world class performers such as Drogba, Eto’o, Kanoute, Barakat, Abou Treika, Essien, Martins, Obi, Keita and the Kingson brothers.
Hopefully, the tournament will bring new revelations that will keep agents tripping over one another to sign them up.
As teenagers, we saw nimble-footed Offei Dodoo work magic spells on Sudan in 1963 to turn the match around for Ghana in the second half.
In that match we also saw two gangly “Peter-Crouchy” Sudanese players, named Jixa and Wixa teach Ghanaians what wing play meant in those days.
We are praying to see something new again.
After hosting Ghana 2008, what next? A lot of factors will determine if Africa is deserving of hosting another World Cup finals in the next 50 or so years.
The technical quality of our game, the organisational ability of the sports administrators and the quality of social infrastructure that governments and big businesses provide at such championships and the ability to deliver on time are a few of the considerations.
What better opportunity is there to demonstrate them than in this Africa Cup of Nations finals? By all standards Ghana 2008 is a gargantuan project and as with undertakings of such proportions, there are things that we wish we had done differently We are reportedly late in some aspects of our preparations and are also said to be facing quality challenges that could have been avoided.
Nonetheless, we pray that we are saved once again by our abiding faith in the “Just in Time Philosophy” as manifested during Ghana at 50 celebrations and the recent AU Conference.
Ghana 2008 promises to be an enjoyable festival and while Ghanaians will pray that as hosts we win the Cup, we must remember that only one nation will win it. That nation has to be the best and a worthy champion of a great competition. For, Our God hates mediocrity.
Shedules
1/20/2008 - Accra Ghana - Guinea
1/21/2008 - Accra Namibia - Morocco
1/21/2008 - Sekondi Nigeria - Ivory Coast
1/21/2008 - Sekondi Benin - Mali
1/22/2008 - Kumasi Egypt - Cameroon
1/22/2008 - Kumasi Sudan - Zambia
1/23/2008 - Tamale Tunisia - Senegal
1/23/2008 - Tamale South Africa - Angola
1/24/2008 - Accra Guinea - Morocco
1/24/2008 - Accra Ghana - Namibia
1/25/2008 - Sekondi Ivory Coast - Benin
1/25/2008 - Sekondi Nigeria - Mali
1/26/2008 - Kumasi Cameroon - Zambia
1/26/2008 - Kumasi Egypt - Sudan
1/27/2008 - Tamale Senegal - Angola
1/27/2008 - Tamale Tunisia - South Africa
1/28/2008 - Accra Ghana - Morocco
1/28/2008 - Sekondi Guinea - Namibia
1/29/2008 - Sekondi Nigeria - Benin
1/29/2008 - Accra Ivory Coast - Mali
1/30/2008 - Tamale Cameroon - Sudan
1/30/2008 - Kumasi Egypt - Zambia
1/31/2008 - Kumasi Senegal - South Africa
1/31/2008 - Tamale Tunisia - Angola
Daily Graphic/The Zimbabwe Guardian
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