The Mundial is arguably the biggest platform in football where every country will have the desire to compete due to the countless benefits accompanie
The Mundial is arguably the biggest platform in football where every country will have the desire to compete due to the countless benefits accompanied by participation in the world cup.
This is a stage where countries especially the developing ones take keen advantage to sell their respective countries to the world by attracting investors to boost their ‘begging’ economies.
Boxing first sold Ghana positively to the world due to the consistent and heroic display by some legends like Roy Ankrah who won the Britsh Empire Featherweight title on April 30, 1951, at the Empress hall, Earl court in London. Roy who earned the name “Black Flash” or Fighting Octopus” was also the first African Commonwealth champion.
On September 21, 1975, David Kotei Poison affectionately called DK Poison became the first Ghanaian world boxing champion after defeating Ruben Olivares in a 146-145 to 145-144 decision to become the new World Boxing Featherweight champion.
Notable boxers like Floyd Klutei Robertson, Azumah Nelson, Nana Yaw Konadu and Ike Bazuuka Kortey have all paid their respective dues for the country, Gold Coast to Ghana.
Historical reference was made to boxing to clearly show that sporting activities should not be joked with at the world stage or international level due to the juicy benefits that engulfed it.
In November 2022 the Black Stars will represent Ghana for the fourth time at the Mundial in Qatar and is an enormous stage to promote the image of the country once more after the 2006 and 2010 heroic world cup performances displayed by our players.
I am not a Prophet of doom but if care is not taken we might be mere participants and leave Qatar ordinarily.
Where from this ‘cheap’ pressure to impose some local players on the coach? Yes, local players are Ghanaians, and they also deserve to play at the world cup but it should not be on solidarity or charitable grounds, local players must earn a spot in Otto Addo’s team competitively.
We recently witnessed how Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak disgraced local football at the Caf Champions League and Caf Confederation cup respectively. Even the 1-1 stalemate between these top clubs in the 2022-2023 Ghana premier 1st leg league match at the Baba Yara sports stadium was a waste of everybody’s time considering the low standard performance displayed by their respective players.
If this is the standard of our indigenous game then none of the local players has no business in Qatar.
We are going to Qatar with a serious mindset and competitiveness, not as tourists so let’s give Coach Otto Addo a chance and sporting freedom to name the right and eligible players for the 2022 World cup.
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