Ghana versus Guinea is a football game between brothers, but when the two teams clash in the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations 2015 there would be more at stake than just football .
The Syli Nationale will be playing for its national pride to reverse the woes of last year’s Ebola virus and its after-effects. The Black Stars need a win to redeem their battered image.
Many years ago these two Countries were at the forefront of liberating the whole African continent from colonialism. Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Sekou Ahmed Toure the Presidents of Ghana and Guinea respectively were at the core of the bond between the two Nations.
Such was the relationship between the first Presidents of the two Countries that when Dr Kwame Nkrumah was deposed in a coup in 1966 he spent his exile in Guinea as Co-President with Sekou Toure.
Guinea came into the 2015 Afcon tournament hoping for a good performance to put behind them the despair caused by the aftermath of an Ebola outbreak.
Unlike the other countries who qualified they were denied the comfort of playing home matches. Guinea had to relocate to Morocco and play before almost empty stadiums.
“We were deprived of our support… the players were worried and sometimes it was stigmatizing as if Guineans were the plague”, Guinea’s French coach Michel Dussuyer told goal.com.
In the end they prevailed, only to land themselves in one of two groups of death with Cote D’ivoire, Cameroon and Mali for company. Three draws and a luck dip later, Guinea is in the quarter finals and maybe, just maybe can now dare to dream of a fairy-tale run all the way.
The Guineans have the romantics on their side… I can already see the headlines; especially here among the European media. The headline will read something like: ‘GUINEAN NATIONAL TEAM OVERCOMES IBOLA OUTBREAK IN THEIR COUNTRY TO REACH AFCON SEMI FINALS… or even better…’GUINEA FOOTBALL TEAM BRINGS JOY TO EBOLA RAVAGED WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY’
The Guinea players know how much a successful Nations Cup campaign would mean. Their captain and Borrussia Monchengladbach striker Ibrahim Traore describes it “We have the opportunity to give the people pleasure and happiness. In the current context it would be very good”.
Their opponents Ghana however have a recent history of ruining romantic stories. They trashed Egypt in World Cup qualifiers when the world was waiting for a Hollywood-style story about the Pharaohs triumph over their civil strife.
Yet while Ghana may not have an Ebola stigma on their backs, they have their own issues. The Black Stars may remain one of the most loved teams on the continent but their real problems is back home in Ghana; with their fans.
Ever since the scandalous World Cup 2014 campaign in Brazil, the Black Stars relationship with the Ghanaian public has fractured if not completely broken. That of Ghana football officials is even worse.
Such was the bitterness among fans that a section of them called for the boycott of Black stars home matches at the commencement of the qualifiers.
Although this never materialized the rest of the qualifiers passed uneventfully with fans unwilling to manifest much support or passion for their team. In the run up to this year’s Afcon anyone in Ghana could feel the low interest quite uncharacteristic of previous Black Stars campaigns.
When Ghana started Afcon 2015 with a loss to Senegal fans were at daggers drawn for a team that evoked more loathing than affection from Ghana fans.
Somehow incredibly two turn around victories in group C aided by some Asamoah Gyan magic in game two has not only hauled the Black Stars into the quarterfinals, but it appears to be winning over a section of the dissenting Ghanaian public. Most are however still holding their breath.
It is quite clear that perhaps only a first Nations Cup in 33 years will appease longsuffering Ghanaian football fans. To be honest the Black Stars has put on anything but Championship winning performances so far.
The team has struggled to impose itself in games. Against Senegal Ghana had only 2 shots on target and was largely outplayed. Gyan’s late goal gave Ghana a barely deserved victory over Algeria and the then a spirited second half display papered over a laboured performance against profligate Bafana Bafana.
Avram Grant doesn’t seem much perturbed about these performances as long as the Black Stars are winning. His preference has always been organization and a strong defence and that is how he has set up this Black Stars to play.
To recover from an opening defeat to advance is a show of Character and mental strength quite reminiscent of Milovan Rajevac’s 2010 teams.
Asamoah Gyan and his team mates know that a quarterfinal exit will do little to mend the broken relationship with the Ghanaian fans. The objective is to advance further and placate Ghanaians.
Andre Ayew put best after last Friday’s qualification when he said “Giving what the Black Stars have been through qualifying for the quarterfinals is a great achievement”… “But in a tournament like this you need to take it easy and think about the next game” .
That next game comes in the shape of Guinea, a team not short on motivation and who probably have the football gods on their side. As Amara Dabo, financial director of the Guinea sports ministry, said after their lucky pick in the drawing of lots:”The god of football fortune has smiled upon Guinea after this hard long journey.”
That may have been true for the drawing of lots, but the gods don’t play football. 22 players do.
By: Sammy Bartels
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