Blackstar’s nebulously deserving qualification to the Qatar 2022 World Cup

Hurray!!! The Blackstar of Ghana secured a 1:0 win over “Bafana Bafana” to qualify for the playoff stage to 2022 world cup in Qatar. Conventionally, when Blackstar qualifies for such major tournaments, you will witness wide range of paraphernalia hoisted around and banners with inscriptions of all kind. Even Blackstar jersey apparels sells fast and adulations from the streets always roars with a win. With not mincing any words, this win has been greeted with low – morale enthusiasm, even die – hard football fans aren’t enthused and its all marked on the streets and Ghanaians in general. What does it connote generally? The win meant nothing much.

Before, we take a scratch off the surface of these low – spirited adulation, the sources take your minds back to 2006 World Cup qualification, which was our first and foremost qualification to such a major event at the senior team level. The field of play witnessed some finesse and vigor from the players and the fans could not hold back their awe. In 2021, the current Blackstars qualification matches has left most fans on tenterhooks and does not display any form of vigor and hope of a win. Questions are being asked; are we going to just make up the numbers at the WC or we want to improve on our 2010 performance. The answers to this question has been built on the premise of what is the current form of the Blackstars? Do they inspire, are we confident of getting to semifinals if we cannot control the game of play against an uninspiring South African side. Bear in mind, the 2006 squad of the South African team was 10X better than what they have now. This made the win meant something to us, certainly not this one.

Being a football fanatic, I can only see a team which might find it hard to qualify from the group stages of the World Cup. The spirit and momentum are sluggish if you witnessed what happened on Sunday 14^th November, 2021. Delving into the match itself and that controversial penalty, one could have thought, may be our fate was not to lose this much, but candidly that match should have ended in a draw. One of the foremost reasons why VAR is used in most European football was to establish a decision like penalties, disputed goals and other offensive attacks through the recorded screen. If there was one installed and reliably used by the match officials, the match could have ended in stalement, however, that was not the case. Hence, Ghana won by a lone goal.

Distinguishing your football team’s success on the field of play isn’t only about goals, but the talent displayed when the opponent mounts pressure. The opponent didn’t pose as much threat to stretch off this team, this makes the win delusive to say least, if you witnessed Cameroon, Algeria and other colleague team play you will only wonder if we have the capacity to match them within the context of the African continent how much more on the world stage? We have to buckle up and establish our position as a team deserving a qualification to the World Cup stage. Since, majority of us have the hope of lifting the World Cup one day or even being in the semifinals. Does this feel like a dream about to come through or we are living in an augment reality clamored in wishful thinking and exaggerated hope.