The best news I heard on Wednesday was that Ghana had lost the bid to host the 2017 African Cup of Nations. Ghana lost out to Gabon and people took to social media to express their delight over the loss. Praise was given to God for not giving officials the opportunity to swindle the state. Some even wondered what possessed the government to even bid when it could not provide 24 hours of power.
Refreshing to hear that Ghana missed out on the 2017 Afcon hosting rights.
— Umar-Farouk Atipaga (@FAROUKATIPAGA) April 8, 2015
The greatest wrong CAF could have done to Ghana was to award us AFCON2015. It would have been another massive Create, Loot and Share… — Karl Alphonse (@zeekefreeman) April 8, 2015
Alot of Ghanaians are happy Ghana didn’t win the bid for Afcon2017. Mahama and his guys bore rough! #Ghana — Kwesi Osei Simpey (@simpeyGH) April 8, 2015
Wow. I guess this is the first time Ghanaians are rejoicing because they did not win a bid to host the AFCON. Times do change indeed. — christopher opoku (@chrisrobin74) April 8, 2015
I’m overjoyed that the government and the Ghana Football Association didn’t get their wish. It’s heartwarming to see such widespread celebration among so many Ghanaians. as Sports Journalist Christopher Opoku beautifully captured with the word “unprecedented.” The strong and united response to the bid highlights the public’s deep feelings about the bid.
I’m also thankful to all the gods for Wednesday’s reaction. They’ve proven that they do not tolerate idiocy. When our government stopped thinking, they used Issa Hayatou and his band of elders for good. Now I know they “care’ more about Ghanaians and want us to have the best. Though the former Sports Minister, Mahama Ayariga, claims our jubilation over the loss will ruin the country’s reputation abroad (Not that we care about what others think), the reaction is significant.
The government has been notified that it cannot use football to distract us again. Successive governments always deploy football and the Black Stars to divert attention from pressing national concerns. Conversations about corruption, sanitation, poverty, and all other issues are put on hold when the Black Stars win. During election campaigns, political parties sometimes list the successful hosting of the AFCON in Ghana or the Black Stars’ performance as their sporting accomplishments.
But the last time we hosted an AFCON, we were left with an illegal judgment debt. The Black Stars’ disastrous performance in that tournament, the Dzamefe Commission’s revelations, and the crippling dumsor crisis has only added to the national trauma. Given these bitter memories and our current economic crisis, it’s no wonder many Ghanaians celebrated the failed AFCON bid. With the government begging the IMF for help stabilize the cedi and close the fiscal gap, the decision to host seemed like reckless extravagance.
Presently we get light for two out of the seven days. Things are bad for everyone – the employer, the employee and the unemployed. It is only the insensitive and thoughtless among us who will go out of their way to spend money we do not have.
We love football. We enjoy watching and playing the game. People will watch a football game anywhere there is a game, whether it’s on TV in a kiosk or live on the street corner. Most Ghanaian men have a story about when they were the star of their neighborhood or school football team or how they could have been a football star but were overlooked by the scouts.
And nothing makes us happier than watching our beloved Black Stars play at home. In fact the one thing that unites us and restores a bit of pride is watching the senior team participate in tournaments
But as I have written before, our lives don’t depend only on football. Our pride will be restored when our cities and villages are clean and businesses can operate for 24 hours on the national grid. It will make us even prouder to have players from thriving local leagues on our national team, particularly in the senior squad.
If the people in charge were paying attention, they would have noticed that Ghanaians have had enough. If the government wants our full support for its football ventures, it should publish the Dzamefe report and implement the recommendations. We need to know how they intend to pay the players each time the senior team plays. From now on, it should disclose how much it plans to spend on football-related trips, tournaments, and friendlies. It’s important that the government does not label this reaction as cynicism. It is a gift from the gods, who are unhappy with their failure to think and deliver the promised transformation.
Let them tag it cynicism or whatever for all we care. We’re extremely happy we don’t have to host this until some 8 years.