● A thrilling action scene at the 2014 World Cup: Left, Agyemang Badu and Harrison Afful trying to
prevent Ronaldo (centre) from making a move

For many years to come, the gory incidents of Black Stars’ shameful campaign at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, will be indelibly etched on the minds of football’s disciples – especially Ghanaians.

As you may have been aware already, the shamefulness of it was not about the Stars’ ego-shattering first round exit. It had to do – firstly, with incidents that culminated in the ‘bloody’ fight at the team’s hotel between management member Moses Parker and midfield dynamo Sulley Muntari.

Secondly, players deciding to embark on a sit-down strike ahead of the all-crucial third-place game against Portugal were to say the least, ghastly.

The incident hauled a lot of shame to Ghana – earning her rave reviews in the global media.

Indeed, the Brazil media made a lot of fun about the situation, especially when $4million cash was flown from Ghana to the expectant team before the Portugal nerve-jangling third group game.

As one would expect, the players lost focus – and spent the entire night ‘reading’ their money – an appearance fee of $100,000 each. The attention was not about working their fingers to the bone to upstage Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portuguese side and qualify for the second round. Money before country was the players’ clarion call! Embarrassing, it was!

It was against this saturnine backdrop that President of former Division One side (Danbort FC), Mr Daniel Bortequaye, has ‘badgered’ on the GFA to put in place the fitting measures to ensure that the spectre of Brazil 2014 is totally exorcised.

“What happened to Ghana’s image in the Brazil 2014 World Cup must not be repeated and I can only hope important lessons have been picked up by the FA,” he said, insisting that the Black Stars could have gone beyond what was achieved at the South Africa 2010 World Cup (quarter-final), if we had done things right.

With less than three months to the Qatar World Cup (November 19), we need no one to remind the current players to be guided by this horrible story and ensure they exhibit the best behaviour possible.

There is no scintilla about the fact that the global media will have its eye on the Black Stars in November; not only for its spectacular football, but would be looking out for some of the controversies that swallowed up the 2010 quarter-finalist, into opprobrium.

PlainTalk With John Vigah