To Brazil, Ghana must go! -gsmbizmen

One issue that has stirred up debate in national football circles of late is the decision by officials of the Black Stars to reschedule the decisive World Cup group qualifying match against contenders, the Chipolopolo of Zambia, in Kumasi. The issue is of such profound national interest that our joining the debate is sine qua non, so to speak.

Needless to reiterate that the decision by the GFA to shift the match from its original date of Sunday, September 8 to Friday, September 6 because of a contracted friendly international  match between Ghana and Japan must have sparked the debate among the fans.

The query by some of the fans, which we tend to be in some agreement with, is why the friendly against Japan seems to take precedence over the World Cup qualifier as to cede the original date of the crucial game against Zambia to it.

What is more, what is the essence of this friendly in Japan coming within the space of three days after the qualifier in Kumasi?

Won’t our players be tired and worn out from jet lag as to make the competitiveness of this game compromised with the likelihood of the Stars falling heavily to their Japanese counterparts?

Mind you, aside the hosts, Brazil, Japan were the first team to have qualified for the 2014 World Cup and, therefore, are sitting pretty easy to welcome friendlies in preparation, unlike the Stars whose fate stands threatened by the now scheduled September 6 match against the Chipolopolo.

Why the divided attention? Play and win at all cost against Zambia then emplane immediately after the match for Japan. What if the Stars fail to win against Zambia (God forbid), will there be any motivation left for the friendly against Japan?

We have no doubt at all that the FA means well in arranging for the friendly international, partly as one of the preparations for the Stars in readiness for their final round-off match for eventual qualification for the World Cup after beating Zambia, and partly as a means of raising money for a rainy day.

But as the saying goes: What is money to the grasshopper! First things first, and in this regard it is the winning of the match against Zambia which must be the first consideration before anything else.

As far as we are concerned, once the Stars qualify for the World Cup there will be several international friendlies for preparation towards the ultimate, which is why we see the forthcoming one against Japan to be out of focus.

Meanwhile, what is the immediate programme of Coach Kwasi Appiah towards preparation for the match against Zambia, knowing that most of our players are with foreign clubs currently on tours preparing for their respective leagues, some of which will kick off a few weeks before Ghana’s World Cup qualifier?

There has also been a stony silence by Coach Appiah over whether or not he will recall Michael Essien, K. P. Boateng and the Ayew Brothers for the crucial match against Zambia, since the players have indicated their return from national team holiday after reported interventions by the FA itself and, not least, the Presidential fiat by His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama.

These are matters to be resolved quickly to put the Stars’ house in perfect order for the big match against the Chipolopolo.

To Brazil, the Stars must go in 2014, willy-nilly!