Familiarity breeds fear for Black Stars

Familiarity, they say, breeds contempt. But for Ghana football, it seems, it breeds fear and apprehension.
After the draw for the 2017 Nations Cup draw pitted the Black Stars against Egypt, Uganda and Mali, the general reaction was ‘not again’.

Quick online polls and views on Twitter suggested there are many who fear a group stage exit is possible. There are also a few die-hards who are convinced winning the tournament is possible. But in line with the sinking image of the team at home, very few people think they can match their semifinal finishes of the last five nations cups.

It is a remarkable record when you consider that in that period, Ghana has lost two finals in 2010 and at the last Nations Cup in 2015.

So why the apprehension and skepticism after the 2017 Nations draw?

First, it ties in with a general public disaffection and fatigue about the Black Stars. Too many fans don’t care anymore after years of money-related conversations converted the image of the team from national icons to players who pulled on the shirt just for money.

There are those who are genuinely tired of raising their hopes for a Nations Cup, only to get bitterly disappointed. While five semifinal appearances is great, the manner of Ghana’s elimination has often left a sour taste.

In 2008, the Black Stars blew a semifinal at home when the whole nation was hyped up for what was dubbed ‘host and win’. In 2010, they took Egypt all the way in the Final before caving in in the last ten minutes. Two years later it was Zambia who pulled off a win before Burkina Faso put Ghana out of its misery in 2013. Then in 2015, after taking a 2-0 lead in the penalty shootout, the Black Stars still managed to lose before being rewarded with brand new cars.

It was a gesture that infuriated many people who thought it was a reward for failure. Many members of the team say their mission in Gabon next year is to change that.

Midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, who has played in every Nations Cup for Ghana since 2010, is expecting a difficult challenge in Gabon.

“We know many of the countries in the group so we already know it would be difficult,” he said. “Uganda has given us a tough time lately and there is a reason why Egypt are the record winners of the Nations Cup. We have always beaten Mali in the group stage so we have a fair idea how they play. There would be no easy games but many of those countries would not be happy they got us too.”

His teammates Daniel Amartey (pictured) and Christian Atsu took to Twitter to point out that a fit Ghana squad would scale what they both acknowledge is a difficult group.

Those two, some of Ghana’s few players involved in active club football at the moment, would be central to the campaign in Gabon, which starts for the Black Stars on January 17 in Port-Gentil against Uganda.

The East Africans are making a return to the Nations Cup after a 39-year absence. Their last match at the tournament? A final defeat at the hands of Ghana in 1978 as the Black Stars won the third of their four titles on home soil.

Since then, Uganda seem to have found a way of coping with Ghana, especially in recent years. In the last two years, the countries have met three times with nine points at stake. Uganda have collected five of those points with one win and two draws, both in Ghana’s backyard.

“I cant understand why you can’t beat them,” Badu says. “It is a problem for us, but we have proved in the past that we are capable of being at our best at the Nations Cup.”

Ghana’s next game would be a January 21st meeting against Mali. It would be the third time in the last four Nations Cups that Ghana would be facing them in the group stage and the fifth game overall between the two sides in the competition. Ghana won both group games in 2012 and 2013 before losing two third-place play-offs that no-one in the Black Stars wanted.

The final game would be the really big one which may come at a time both sides could have sealed their place. Ghana versus Egypt is set for January 25th. It would be a first meeting at the Nations Cup since the Pharoahs won their record seventh title in Luanda in 2010. Since then the Black Stars have beaten the Egypt 6-1 and lost in Cairo. By the time they meet in Port-Gentil, they would have faced off in Alexandria in the battle for a 2018 World Cup place.

By the time those games take place, the Black Stars would know their opponents inside out. As we have come to know, that is not necessarily an advantage. But there is also a reason why, since 2008, Ghana has reached the semifinal of every Nations Cup.