Football is more than just a game that’s played on the field between two teams, it is an expression of true sportsmanship and intelligence. When used rightly, football, what may seem like a mere game can be used as a weapon yielding the great power to change the world. Yes ‘change the world’. It can be used excellently to tackle social problems, drive a cause or change lives and to perform any of this, a solid understanding of how the world works and how it can benefit from football’s mighty power is required.
Ghana’s Football Journey: A Look
A perfect example of this is portrayed by Ghana, a country in West Africa, which also happens to Nigeria’s neighbour plus a cutting opponent in sports. Ghana has a very rich heritage when it comes to sports, be it badminton, hockey, football, boxing, cricket and the list is quite long. Ghana didn’t do anything massive as such, but just changed the coaching crew of all of their 9 national teams including the Black Stars, their global flagship team and product. It’s what makes the sport so popular in Ghana, with platforms like Betway coming up to support the needs for live soccer betting among football fans.
Now, the big deal isn’t about the motive behind this particular change, but the simple yet profound statement that was made to the world indicating what their true identity is and where they stand in the ongoing global war of amenities and between the superpowers.
All of this is centrally related to the political affairs of the countries. Keeping in mind the fact that ever since its independence in 1959, Ghanaians’ only vision is one that would make Black people and Africa be considered within the whole wide world. The vision of a united Africa. The first President of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah was a man way ahead of his time. He had a vision and the vision was to see a united Africa and a world where the Blacks received the respect they deserve.
For Ghanaians, football is a very significant thing, as any Betway fan would say. Almost everyone is super passionate about it. Even Dr Nkrumah was a mad fan of the Black Stars. Ghanaians have a belief that they know the game best and that their style of football is more advanced than that of Nigeria’s, which also makes their rivalry quite pertinent.
Ghana is vehement as they fight the war of civilizations and strive to restore the dignity of the Black race to earn global respect. This is the reason behind Ghana’s choice of local Ghanaian coaches to lead their national teams. The reason is subtle yet meaningful and it is enough to make a bold statement about the move.
However, the sole reason behind this statement can presumably be the racism ‘war’ that is intensifying in Europe, especially on the football fields against black footballers. And as irrelevant as it sounds, the reason behind this rubbish ideology that roots the on-field racism is simply that Blacks are not regarded smart enough to manage a ‘complex’ game like football. At a situation like this, Blacks and Africans ought to fight back to earn their rights to be treated with equal respect and to be given equal rights in the present uneven world. And that’s exactly why Ghana’s decision to fail or succeed with their Black indigenous coaches makes perfect sense.
