Many Ghanaians have been sitting on tenterhooks, following a vicious protest filed to FIFA by the South Africa Football Association (SAFA) against Ghana as regards its Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying loss to the Black Stars.
The South Africans, evidently sour losers to the Stars, had claimed match-manipulation amongst others, hugely culminated in the 1-0 defeat; also fingering Senegalese Referee MaquetteNdiaye as part of the plot.
Well, as of putting this piece together, FIFA – the world football controlling body, was yet to make a pronouncement on the matter. That is a bit strange. Wonder why this case should take more than two weeks to adjudicate. Maybe, the delay was necessary because of SA’s allegations of match-manipulation which has to be proven beyond every reasonable doubt FIFA.
Whichever way, it would be one of the greatest wonders in world football should FIFA order a replay of the game – the relief SAFA is desperately seeking – unless it can clinically provide evidence of matching manipulation.
Having been bowled out from both next year’s African Nations Cup and the Qatar World Cup, it is obvious South Africa are in extreme pain that can only be assuaged by a FIFA replay dispensation of the Cape Coast game.
It would not happen!
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) must not be sweating over the SAFA protest but rather start planning about the next AFCON which four-time champions Ghana has not won for four decades – 40 good years!
It is a huge ignominy and sheer embarrassment – even to African football that the Stars are yet to annex the continental Holy Grail, all this while.
That must be the prime focus of the GFA now, to break that Stygian disquieting ‘silence’ that has left many experts of continental football utterly confounded.
What this means is that Ghana would have to send a formidably winsome team to the biennial football festival in Cameroon and give the campaign a big crack in its bid to put that missing smile on the faces of Ghanaians.
Once we are able to present a solid contingent in Cameroon, we are also sure of putting forth an equally tremendous outfit capable of taking care of our World Cup play-off in March 2022.
Our Black Stars may not be playing spectacularly well at the moment but have strongly proven that they can rise to the occasion when the stakes are high.
What the players need now is to show a lot more sense of commitment and purpose without which they do not stand a chance of achieving their targets.
Of course, they also need an unflinchingly consummate backing from Ghanaians, especially when the going becomes uncompromisingly tough.
No distractions! Focus!
PlainTalk with John Vigah