Passionless African stars
Jun 28, 2010
GHANA has enjoyed an amazing run at the World Cup. Youthful and willing to work for each one another, the West Africans can aptly take up the moniker of the surprise team of the tournament.
By Eden Kironde
GHANA has enjoyed an amazing run at the World Cup. Youthful and willing to work for each one another, the West Africans can aptly take up the moniker of the surprise team of the tournament.
But not even Ghana’s displays can eclipse the short comings of most of the African representatives at the tournament none more so than disappearing act by most of the continent’s luminaries.
Following the fallout with Roger Milla, Samuel Eto’O demanded that: “People should respect me and they must shut up.â€
The mouthful not withstanding, Eto’o was expected to do more talking on the pitch. Unfortunately that was the last time he was to make major news. His two goals were mere footnotes in yet another campaign gone bad.
Half-hearted shifts
He was not an isolated case. Many “big†names put in half-hearted shifts that would even turn Medusa into stone. None showed any commitment to the cause.
With the exception of Algeria, the stars in the other teams simply strutted around hoping that everyone would genuflect in awe of their past glories, mainly at club level.
But most coaches were reading from a different script and some marquee names found themselves stuck in the dugout, which somehow rendered most of them an escape route.
Muntari still sulking
In spite Ghana’s progress, Sulley Muntari attacked Milovan Rajavac for favouring the young players.
In explaining Nigeria’s dismal display, Peter Odemwingie sighted the omission of the senior players from the squad while Steven Pienaar too blamed the Nation’s newly acquired status as the worst hosts, on the over reliance on locally based players.
But it should be noted that the fans are not like the clichéd over-bearing mother in law. They don’t expect these stars to drag their respective teams to the final of the World Cup because the hindrances to Africa’s progress in the tournament may be far bigger than them.
All the fans were asking for was well summarised by Nigerian legend Jay Jay Okocha.
“Our players have not shown enough passion.†And in Lionel Messi, African stars cannot ask for a better example.
Eden Kironde is a panelist on Vision Voice’s Sportlight show
GHANA has enjoyed an amazing run at the World Cup. Youthful and willing to work for each one another, the West Africans can aptly take up the moniker of the surprise team of the tournament.
But not even Ghana’s displays can eclipse the short comings of most of the African representatives at the tournament none more so than disappearing act by most of the continent’s luminaries.
Following the fallout with Roger Milla, Samuel Eto’O demanded that: “People should respect me and they must shut up.â€
The mouthful not withstanding, Eto’o was expected to do more talking on the pitch. Unfortunately that was the last time he was to make major news. His two goals were mere footnotes in yet another campaign gone bad.
Half-hearted shifts
He was not an isolated case. Many “big†names put in half-hearted shifts that would even turn Medusa into stone. None showed any commitment to the cause.
With the exception of Algeria, the stars in the other teams simply strutted around hoping that everyone would genuflect in awe of their past glories, mainly at club level.
But most coaches were reading from a different script and some marquee names found themselves stuck in the dugout, which somehow rendered most of them an escape route.
Muntari still sulking
In spite Ghana’s progress, Sulley Muntari attacked Milovan Rajavac for favouring the young players.
In explaining Nigeria’s dismal display, Peter Odemwingie sighted the omission of the senior players from the squad while Steven Pienaar too blamed the Nation’s newly acquired status as the worst hosts, on the over reliance on locally based players.
But it should be noted that the fans are not like the clichéd over-bearing mother in law. They don’t expect these stars to drag their respective teams to the final of the World Cup because the hindrances to Africa’s progress in the tournament may be far bigger than them.
All the fans were asking for was well summarised by Nigerian legend Jay Jay Okocha.
“Our players have not shown enough passion.†And in Lionel Messi, African stars cannot ask for a better example.
Eden Kironde is a panelist on Vision Voice’s Sportlight show