There was a time the name Black Stars sent shivers through the hearts of opponents. A time when every tournament felt the magic of the “African Brazil.”
Our early hegemony on African soil in the 60s and 70s made us a feared nation, while the world was forced to watch in awe.
Despite going decades without lifting a major title, the Black Stars went into every Africa Cup of Nations tournament as favourites because of our storied history.
Our football philosophy was simple: control the ball and dictate the pace of the game. This was what sold us to the world in our maiden appearance at the World Cup in 2006.
The same spirited performance was shown in South Africa in 2010 and nearly sent us to the last four at the expense of Uruguay at Soccer City, Johannesburg.
In 2014, even when we faced off-field problems in the squad, our performance in the 2-2 draw against eventual champions Germany was arguably the best game of the tournament.
Ghana has been a shadow of itself since the 2015 AFCON final loss against rivals Ivory Coast.
Despite one or two wins along the way, we’ve barely flattered in any tournament.
At first I thought we were just having a bad moment, but back-to-back group stage exits and the failure to qualify for the recent AFCON in Morocco was enough evidence to believe Ghana is now a fallen giant.
Getting dominated by unheralded minnows like Comoros, Mozambique and Cape Verde in recent years was another sign of how far our dear nation has fallen.
At the just-ended World Cup, we went to the last 32 after being seeded as one of the best third-placed teams, but the football that got us to the knockout phase was atrocious.
Watching our game vs Panama was very painful. With all due respect to the players, it looked like Sunday league football. The last-gasp winner from Caleb Yirenkyi only papered over the cracks.
Our defensive masterclass against England was the only notable performance at the World Cup, but that was still not our standard. The Black Stars of yesteryear would have gone boot-for-boot with England and probably come out with a crucial win.
I was not that mad about our loss against Croatia, but that nonchalant display against Colombia sent my head to Mars. Going down by a goal in the opening 14 minutes and failing to put up a fight against Los Cafeteros clearly showed the current state of our football.
I did not know what pushed me to watch our game against Ivory Coast on Thursday, knowing very well that it would be another toothless and uninspiring display.
It’s about time we humble ourselves and accept the fact that the beautiful game has left our land. A nation that once boasted of Abedi Pele, Osei Kofi, Anthony Yeboah, Asamoah Gyan and Mohammed Polo is now struggling to stamp its authority in Africa and world football.
https://orange1079fm.com/inaki-williams-announces-retirement-from-international-football-with-ghana/
