Praise ye great and famous

By Doreen Hammond
The year was 1975, a young Ghanaian boxer had annexed a World Featherweight Boxing title, the first in the annals of the nation’s history and an excited country was in celebration mode.
The young David Kotei also known as Poison, had a busy schedule to follow after a tumultuous welcome at the capital’s airport on his arrival. He was met by state functionaries and people from all walks of life. He also had to present the championship belt to the then head of state. This was followed by a nation- wide tour amid songs composed in his honour. My favourite of these songs was Senior Eddie Donkor’s Nea Okom gye ne omie.
Barely a year later, on November 6, 1976, when the heat of the celebrations had died down, DK the darling boy, was billed to defend the title against Danny Lopez, in front of a partisan Ghanaian crowd. How the belt was wrenched from the fists of DK, amid weeping and wailing by Ghanaians and his subsequent demise into oblivion is now steeped in Ghanaian boxing history. Did we learn any lessons from Kotei’s fall as a people?
In 1983, Ghana became the first African country to win the African cup of nations for a record fourth time. Instead of thinking of how to improve on this feat we chose to bask in its glory. Thus, while we chose to be busy touting our achievement, Egypt was busy winning more of the trophies. Since 1983 we have not tasted victory in that continental show piece while Egypt has over taken us and won it seven times and still counting.
In 1991, a Ghanaian youth team mesmerised the world and annexed the FIFA Soccer World Youth Cup. One would have expected that it was going to be the beginning of further successes in that level of the game. Alas, that was to be the only time. In 1994, Ghana took the world by storm during the Olympic Games by being the first African team to get to the quarter finals in football. Reaching the quarter finals, a feat then unattained by any African country, we wallowed in our glory and could not advance further.
Even the voices of Ghanaian commentators who kept harping that it was the first time an African team was going that far, was enough to let the boys feel they had arrived and arrived they had. Come the next tournament, the Nigerian team went all out and won the cup!
Following these tournaments, a Ghanaian super kid was unearthed and touted as the next Pele. What happened to his career and that of his other colleagues who were equally brimming with so much potential at the time, is there for all to see. I am talking about the Alex Opokus, Nii Odartey Lampteys, Emmanuel Duahs and the Kofi Mbias. Yet their counterparts from Europe, Latin America and other parts of the world went on to become class acts like the Ronaldinhos, Ronaldos, Inniestas, Fabio Cannavaros etc. and are still shining.

Let us face it, apart from Abedi Pele, Tony Yeboah, and Sammy Osei Kufour, most Ghanaian youth players with a lot of potential who get drafted into top European teams hardly stay at the top flight for any length of time. Two cars, two houses and some hundred thousand dollars is enough to last one for a life time and so it ends there.

The story is not very different in the boxing sphere where apart from Azumah Nelson, other Ghanaian boxers have exhibited a lack of staying power. Defeats to Scorpion Ofosu, Nana Yaw Konadu, Ike Quartey and in more recent times Ike Quartey, Kofi Jantuah, Joshua Clottey and Joseph Abgeko, point to a worrying development.

What makes the Manny Pacquios, Evander Holyfields, and the De La Hoyas, stay at the top for so long? Similarly what makes the Paul Shole the Ryan Giggs’ Fabio Cannavaros, Salgados and the Palo Maldinis play at the top for decades while our boys fizzle away after two seasons in a Turkish or Greek league?
Is the case different with our business tycoons? Do they also realise their full potential and look at the market beyond Ghana? Or are they happy with a few cars and wives, while the Abramovichs, Bill Gates and Dangote’s acquire private jets and yachts? How come that no Ghanaian is listed in Africa’s wealthiest 50 people? Yet, the country is said to be very rich in so many resources.



The big question to ask is: is this lack of staying power in the Ghanaian genes, psychological, cultural or what?
Seems there is a cultural dimension to it. I am talking of the way we over hail these people even before they have found their feet at the top. Such unwarranted praises enter their heads and while they remain in cloud nine, the exigencies of the game bring them back to reality.
Take the case of Asamoah Gyan, a young player with a potential to grow. He scored three goals most of them through penalty kicks at the last world cup. His outings in Europe have seen him having a stint at Udinese and Rennes club in France. His performances at both clubs were nothing to write home about.
The man moves to Sunderland where he has just scored ten goals and already we are comparing him to accomplished players like Samuel Eto, Leo Messi, Pele etc. Ghanaian journalists are already speculating a move for him to Manchester United knowing very well that it is nothing outside the figment of their imagination. How do we expect him to develop the mind set to continue to improve when the perception is that he has already arrived?
Though it is good to praise, over praising has never helped anybody. It brings about complacency and then what follows is a sinking into oblivion of the once held high champion. Ghanaians can hail you to your fall, those at the top beware!