A Sucker’s Call: All is fair in love, war and football

Kudos to everyone spewing “progressive jargons” in a bid to make light what Referee Samuel Sukah did to determine the outcome of the biggest football game in Ghana. You have our attention.

That was the f*cking world series, people! – A Hearts vs Kotoko. You don’t get to make calls like that and expect us to just watch, roll over and call it a day.

Well i don’t think the referee should be hit by a rickety bus (I’ve read that somewhere. LOL). Needless to say it’s an unnecessary wish. But I’m not reducing that decision to human error. I can’t. That’s the reserve of referees who actually know what they’re doing on the pitch.

Penalties, i’m admitting for the umpteenth time since yesterday, are a part of the game. If players commit a 100 fouls deserving of a 100 penalty calls, you take them all. There was no foul committed by any Kotoko player deserving of a penalty through out the match but here we are discussing one. Imaging a referee whistling for an offside against Goal Keeper Felix Annan while he’s still glued in his half and in post. That’s just as ridiculous as that penalty call.

Hearts fans are all over the place sticking it to the rest of us as being beneficiaries of several “Amos Frimpongs” (a new term for penalties won by Kotoko at home) and yet none is able to prove any of those calls were unjust.

But it’s all fair now because with last Sundays decision, no other penalty call is out of reach now.

Against Kotoko, it can’t possibly get worse than that “Sucker Call” and to the rest of you who are reacting as though football just ceased to exist after yesterday’s game, good luck bringing the penalty debate up again and an even better luck calling me to that argument table.

Me no hear, me no speak – Ama Sey owes no apologies.

Hon. Mercy Adu Gyamfi (Ama Sey)

“You can have all the knowledge and not be able to contribute because of language (English).”

I think all of Ghana’s problems is summed up by that statement above. People finding a problem with Members of Parliament (MPs) who aren’t the most comfortable with communicating in English must be one of the shallowest, thoughtless and totally absurd diagnosis ever made of any challenge in Ghana.

The MP for the Akwatia constituency, Hon. Mercy Adu Gyamfi, affectionately called Ama Sey, became the latest victim of the Ghanaian’s sometimes needlessly condescending and haughty nature; turning her into a talk of town and a laughing stock. Her crime is her inability to express herself in the English language.

According these lot, MPs like Ama Sey can’t “contribute” in Parliament since in their understanding of how that system works, an MP’s contribution is measured by how much they’re seen dishing out big English ‘vocabs’ on the floor of parliament. (They didn’t have to say that out loud but i got the message alright) and frankly, i forgive them for thinking this way and why not? We have a subculture that permits such notions. And does Parliament’s own standing orders and procedures accentuate this? Yes it does.

What many of this stance are completely at sea on, however, is where they fail to recognize that, rather than her inability to speak fluent English, the real challenge lies in our failure to see past formal education and into what people like Hon. Ama Sey could offer – and i’m of the firm belief that, contrary to the overly simplistic and blanket attribution to the “nature” of our politics; masked by extreme partisanship, her constituents voted her into Parliament because they believed she’d best represent their interest. (Unless you have enough to pass the majority of Akwatia people, first as stupid and then the MP next).

‘Ghana man’ would be quick to pass this off as encouraging square pegs in round holes just because some of us disagree with this standardized approach to taking the path of least resistance; picking on the weak (and the MP is in this issue) to correct problems.

“Parliament is where every single piece of info is written/said in English”; i can almost hear you say boldly and as basis for disagreeing with me. Perhaps this is where you channel your energies from the tottering attempts to ridicule her and to suppress her confidence and spirit, into starting a movement where Parliament’s standing orders and procedures are altered to ensure language is not a barrier and encourage her to express her thoughts, which could very well be the richest, in any as deemed comfortable. Farfetched? I don’t think so. That’s not even to say she necessarily ought to be seen in the same light as Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah or Hon. Haruna Iddiru because the work of an MP isn’t necessarily for the cameras or done entirely on the floor of Parliament.

Ama Sey is NOT the problem. You, thinking that she is, are the real problem. She only doesn’t speak English as good as you do. Come back in the next life for an apology. Hopefully then, the Chinese won’t be lording over us in their own language but on our soil.

We are the way we are because we’re bolder in identifying problems than we are willing to confront it where it best should.

Historic! “I commented on an Unforgettable night of European football.”

 

Hours before the big game in Camp Nou, I had maintained that overturning a daunting scoreline wasn’t beyond this Barcelona team even though i still feel something has fundamentally changed about their play in a not so great way. Lionel Messi has not been at his terrorizing self in many games and perhaps details surrounding Luis Enrique’s announced departure from the club at the end of the season is proof enough that all has not been well with the great Catalonia side. 

6-1 regardless, they’re not even close to as deadly as they once were not too long ago in my opinion as a keen follower of football. But who wants to dwell on the slant in direction of a coconut tree when its still bearing sweet, juicy fruits? 

Sorry if you missed the game but “Like play, like play”, last night birthed one of the most intriguingly magical experiences in football with Barcelona defying all odds to spin a horrific 4-0 defeat to PSG a fortnight ago right on its head by posting an incredible 6-1 triumph over the Paris club. 6-5 it ended on aggregate.

A Luis Suarez goal on 3 minutes, Layvin Kurzawa’s own goal on 41 minutes, a Lionel Messi goal from the penalty spot on the 50th minute, a Neymar brace on the 88th and 90th minutes (pen), and a definitive sucker punch from Sergi Roberto on 90+4 minutes (ET) was not exactly what many people envisaged but just enough to record one of the greatest comebacks ever seen in the UEFA Champions League; qualifying into the quarter finals of the competition in a style no other club has ever done.

Now, to the nights most contentious moments.

 

Referee Deniz Aytekin, in the opinion of many who watched the epic duel, ensured he left an equally indelible mark; capped by 2 penalty calls that proved crucial to Barcelona’s win. 

But here’s what i made of it all. The 1st penalty call passes for the cleanest you’d get on any European night. Thomas Meunier had been beaten COMPLETELY and had only one motive diving onto Neymar’s path head-first; to obstruct. Even i would not have let that opportunity go and you expected less from a “desperate” Barcelona striker? That was BROADWAY baby! Nothing less than a Denzel Washington-esque performance could have been expected there. One could say that he over did it and needless as it was, the theatrics couldn’t have affected the correctness of that call.

 

The 2nd was simply a six of one, half a dozen of the other. Let’s just say we’ve seen worse calls in Europe this season. From a proper neutrals perspective, I counted more than 2 other potential penalty calls the referee didn’t look too interested in.

 

I’m neither for Barca nor for PSG and certainly not for “ASU’s mass choir” (considering the diversity of it’s membership from last night). By the way, it had Manchester United and Arsenal fans as well who needed a decent break of their own.

 

As you all know, if the results does not impact Asante Kotoko SC, i won’t particularly care and i don’t. But here’s to an unforgettable night of European football. Historic!

Shred the cloak: End culture of impunity to save media from abuse at league centres.

I’m not entirely sure where to even begin connecting my thoughts on this ugly, needless and rather primitive behaviour rearing it’s ugly head right back into our local game; the verbal and physical abuse of journalists at Ghana Premier League venues.

It’s only been 5 matchweeks into the 2017 season and already there’s just too many reports of journalist abuse and it’s quite discomforting for many well-meaning followers of the Ghanaian league. It is for me at least and that’s all the invitation I need to express my thoughts on it.

I read in subtle disbelief the narrated ordeal of Felix Romark of GHPLLive at the hands of officials of Aduana Stars last Sunday when he and his team were there to cover the club’s match against visitors, Accra Hearts of Oak. Maybe not unheard of especially when the venue is the Agyemang Badu park but all I retorted to myself as I skimmed through Romark’s Facebook post after the match was that; “You (Aduana Stars) should have had able-bodied men carry Felix and his GHPL team shoulder high for 90 minutes at Dormaa for all the exposure they give you and at no cost.”

These, I said while recalling how this same team of journalists at GHPLLive covered Aduana’s sometimes very primitive outlook at their home grounds, packaged it and opened their brighter sides up to the rest of the world and based on which Striker, Bright Adjei, won on two occasions, CNN’s goals of the week in the 2015/2016 season when Romark’s team posted video footages of both goals online and to the notice of the rest of the world.

“Na s3 w’ennya biriribi aama wase aa, wo san b) no kr)noo s3n?” (Do you rob your mother-in-law of what’s left of her after failing to honour your expected duty of adding onto what she has?)

Twi commentators especially, i’ve always maintained and in no attempt to undermine their contributions, are among the most ‘delicate’ bunch of stakeholders of our game today. That’s how far i can go to admitting that journalists also do err. From reporting factual inaccuracies from match venues through passing flawed judgement on games, to genuine professional errors nonetheless, we have made giant strides from when club officials and their supporters unjustifiably dished out instant abuses – verbal and physical – on journalists at match venues when they disagreed with their reports on issues.

These recent comebacks makes me wonder what, possibly, could be the threat to a club’s performance or influence on results by a journalist’s presence at a game except to report on what’s happening?

It’s even more baffling to think that photo-journalists; photographers are the ones now being targeted.

Also on last Sunday came Senuiedzorm Adadevoh’s unfortunate experience at the hands of, once again, officials and supporters Accra Great Olympic’s in their match against WAFA at Ohene Djan where she was badly heckled and abused for doing absolutely nothing she was not accredited by the Ghana Football Association to do.

A week ago, details emerged on how AshantiGold SC officials and supporters physically assaulted photo-journalist, Gideon Botchway, of the Kotoko Express at Obuasi on grounds of a baseless suspicion of carrying “juju”.

This is backward, and of the many challenges that Ghana football has to deal with in the 21st century, such behaviours should not be a part of it. In my estimation, only deep-seated ignorance and utter foolishness would move clubs into making it a point to frustrate the very agents who are supposed to shine light on their work.

As a follower of the local game and knowing very well what our genuine obstacles are, it’s sometimes very disheartening if not disappointing when such happenings are reported.

They often times leave you wondering if there really is hope in seeing the Ghana Premier League make that one giant leap onto becoming an authentic professional league when clubs and their officials, in this day and age, can’t seem to understand how to leverage what journalists and the media at large bring to the table.

Supporters cannot be possibly left out of the blame with most, rather than augmenting the efforts of other stakeholders in their gate-keeping roles, often emerge as architects of some of these barbaric acts meted out either to opposing teams and their supporters or the media as evidenced by some of the recent reported incidences.

The Ghana Football Association, through its spokesperson, Ibrahim Sannie Daara, has reacted to these recent, needless mishaps with strong condemnation on the attacks.

Much as I commend the GFA’s swift response, I’d also in the same breath, encourage them to not find comfort in reactive rhetorics and show some ‘balls’ by proving their will to instill sanity and discipline in our game. Let’s see the sanctions and biting fines and let them be consistent, commensurate and fair regardless of which club or official brings the name of our game into disrepute.

Violence and hooliganism, regardless of what shape or form they come cannot and must not be tolerated especially in such a time when portraying the good image of the League to attract greater Ghanaian patronage remains key.

If we can’t do these basic things right in this day and age, then we have no business running a football league.

Ghana footy!

Zdravko’s 3-5-2: A risk worth Supporters’ patience.

Emmanuel Gyamfi taking directives from Zdravko Lugarusic in a recent match.

After watching Asante Kotoko record a 0-0 result against Berekum Chelsea at the Golden city park on match day 2 of the Ghana Premier League, it became quite obvious what i reckon, in simple terms, holds true for Kotoko’s new found formation; the 3-5-2.

Clearly not the most comfortable formation even for a bystander/a fan watching across a TV screen so I can imagine how tough it possibly would be for the players expected to execute this to perfection.

This, notwithstanding, i believe strongly that if Zdravko Lugarusic, indeed, is out here risking experimenting with such a system this early in the season and with a club that has one of the worse coaching turnovers in the league, it only stands to reason that he is convinced it would work.

However you look at it, it is still early in the season to start raising alarms about how prudent or otherwise this choice of a strategy is for Kotoko and assuming you wanted to go ahead with a review of Zdravko’s plot with a focus on dimming the positives of his strategy so far, albeit with some noticeable discomfort, do save me a front row seat at your lecture. I’d love to hear how you back your call for a change in Kotoko’s current style in the face of the relatively impressive start to the season.

But really, how does one justify the continuous whining from a section of the club’s fans over what they often describe as a “struggle” to win games?

4 wins and a draw to amass 13 points from a possible 15 after 5 match days can’t possibly pass for anything beneath commendable. And to have arrived at this by picking a point in Berekum and 3 points in Obuasi, with all that history tells us about such fixtures, is indicative of a team with a working strategy.

And need i ask what systems and formations of convenience could we possibly deploy to guarantee flawless performances and results? Which formations did Kotoko deploy at Berekum and Obuasi last season? We lost both games with whatever we thought was comfortable. If the “uncomfortable” 3-5-2 formation is fetching he needed results, who needs comfort?

Our play may not be eye-pleasing yet but Kotoko is not a team under-performing. The statistics so far inspires a lot of confidence with only a goal allowed to slip through and scoring 5 times.

It is only a matter of time before the players gain mastery over Zdravko’s signature formation and I’m upbeat about the club’s chances of mounting a credible challenge at the Ghana Premier League title.

Fabu!