Following the unimpressive performance of the Black Stars of Ghana in their first Group C match opener with the Teranga Lions of Senegal, a cross section of Ghanaians are advocating the country�s national team be ban from all international competitions for next three years.
According to proponents of this contentious idea the performance of the stars in last week Monday�s game was testament that the backlash the team suffered after their disastrous showing at the last world cup is still haunting them, and the team would require enough time to recover.
In their argument many of the fans who spoke to this paper are of the view that in order to adequately prepare the team with the current crop of players for any international competition, there was the need for Ghana to withdraw from all international engagements �for the next three years in order to reflect; take stock, recondition their mind and map out a new strategy going into the future,� one of the proponents who doesn�t want his identity disclosed told The aL-hAJJ.
The senior National Soccer team lost their first group game to Senegal last Monday by 1:2 after putting themselves in the lead courtesy well- converted spot kick by acting Captain, Andrew Dede Ayew.
Although there are two matches left to be played to end the group stage matches, the Stars� performance against Senegal attracted varying reaction from football fans and soccer analysts.
Some sports commentators and analysts in media interviews, callers into phone-in programs, social media comments provided distinct antidotes to bring the stars back to its winning ways.
While most of the contributors think it was time handlers of the Black Stars suspend its participation in international games to prepare them and psyche the players to put what happened in Brazil behind them, others think otherwise.
Those opposed to stars� exclusion from international games for the next three years argue that the performance of the team against Senegal should not form the basis on which the team should be judged, adding that the Black Stars are by their nature slow starters in competitions.
The claim that the stars have time and again proven that in instances where no one gave them a dog chance that was when they prove their mettle.
Citing the 1982 African cup of Nations in Libya when almost everyone ruled out the chances of the stars they progressed to win the trophy, one of the fans wrote on his facebook page �The Black Stars are by their nature slow starters. We saw it in Libya in 1982 and they have repeated that on several occasions.
In instances where no one expected anything good from them, that was when they pull a surprise�their defeat to Senegal is one of those things, we have two matches to end the group stage games and I believe they will prove their mettle to qualify for the next stage.�
Another ardent supporter of the stars twitted that the Ghana Football Association knew the Black Stars with the current crop of relatively young players could not win the trophy in Guinea that was why its President Kwesi Nyantakyi only tasked them �to go and do well�, adding �the GFA knows the new coach is in the process of building a team with these new guys and I think it would only be proper to allow them some space to put themselves together.�
But those pushing for the stars� exclusion from international scene for three years insist the football administration needed time to do a self-introspection to tie all the knots before putting up the team for competitions.
One of them stated �what would it profit a country to send a half-prepared team to an international competition only to disgrace the country? There is the need for us to sit back and prepare very well�Nigeria did it when things were not going well for them so why can�t we do it.�
Following the unimpressive performance of the Black Stars of Ghana in their first Group C match opener with the Teranga Lions of Senegal, a cross section of the Ghanaians are advocating the country�s national team be ban from all international competitions for next three years.
According to proponents of this contentious idea the performance of the stars in last week Monday�s game was testament that the backlash the team suffered after their disastrous showing at the last world cup is still haunting them, and the team would require enough time to recover.
In their argument many of the fans who spoke to this paper are of the view that in order to adequately prepare the team with the current crop of players for any international competition, there was the need for Ghana to withdraw from all international engagements �for the next three years in order to reflect; take stock, recondition their mindset and map out a new strategy going into the future,� one of the proponents who don�t want his identity disclosed told The aL-hAJJ.
The senior National Soccer team lost their first group game to Senegal last Monday by 1:2 after putting themselves in the lead courtesy well converted spot kick by acting Captain, Andrew Dede Ayew.
Although there are two matches left to be played to end the group stage matches, the Stars� performance against Senegal attracted varying reaction from football fans and soccer analysts.
Some sports commentators and analysts in media interviews, callers into phone-in programs, social media comments provided distinct antidotes to bring the stars back its winning ways.
While most of the contributors think it was time handlers of the Black Stars suspend it participation international games to prepare them and psyche the players to put what happened in Brazil behind them, others think otherwise.
Those opposed to stars� exclusion from international games for the next three years argue that the performance of the team against Senegal should not the form the basis on which the team should be judged, adding that the Black Stars are by their nature slow starters in competitions.
The claim the stars have time and again proven that in instances where no one gave them a dog chance, that was when they prove their mettle.
Citing the 1982 African cup of Nations in Libya when almost everyone ruled out the chances of the stars but they progressed to win the trophy, one of the fans wrote on his facebook page �The Black Stars are by their nature slow starters. We saw it in Libya in 1982 and they have repeated that on several occasions. In instances where no one expected anything good from them, that was when they pull a surprise�their defeat to Senegal is one of those things, we have two matches to end the group stage games and I believe they will prove their mettle to qualify for the next stage.�
Another ardent supporter of the stars twitted that the Ghana Football Association knew the Black Stars with the current crop of relatively young players could not win the trophy in Guinea that was why its President Kwesi Nyantakyi only tasked them �to go and do well�, adding �the GFA knows the new coach is in the process of building a team with these new guys and I think it would only be proper to allow them some space to put themselves together.�
But those pushing for the stars� exclusion from international scene for three years insist the football administration needed time to do a self-introspection to tie all the knots before putting up the team for competitions.
One of them stated �what would it profit a country to send a half-prepared team to an international competition only to disgrace the country? There is the need for us to sit back and prepare very well�Nigeria did it when things were not going well for them so why can�t we do it.�
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