{"id":3510,"date":"2022-12-14T16:53:20","date_gmt":"2022-12-14T16:53:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/?p=3510"},"modified":"2023-02-28T09:00:57","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T09:00:57","slug":"disaster-owned-the-first-stage-of-healing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/2022\/12\/14\/disaster-owned-the-first-stage-of-healing\/","title":{"rendered":"Disaster Owned \u2013 The First Stage of Healing<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Inflatable AFCON Trophy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Satish Sekar \u00a9 Satish Sekar (August 2nd<\/sup> 2018)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disastrous<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The two year investigation and subsequent expos\u00e9 of corruption at the top of Ghanaian football by the controversial journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas led to the suspension of Ghanaian football, resignation of Ghana FA President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, and suspension of the GFA [see https:\/\/starrfmonline.com\/2018\/06\/08\/fifa-bans-kwesi-nyantakyi\/<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also offers an opportunity for a football nation rich on talent, but short of delivery to put that right. It\u2019s been 36 years, and counting, since the Black Stars won their last AFCON title, and, after three successive World Cup qualifications, failure to qualify for Russia 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just 8 years ago, only Lu\u00eds Su\u00e1rez\u2019 handball prevented Ghana becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, African nations can\u2019t even reach the knock-out phase. 2018 was a disastrous World Cup for Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Change has Gotta Come<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The inquest has started despite some \u2013 almost all non-Africans \u2013 claiming France\u2019s success for the continent. Razak and other African sporting legends want to digest the failure [see http:\/\/www.espn.co.uk\/football\/blog-football-africa\/story\/3576810\/claiming-frances-world-cup-triumph-for-africa-overlooks-the-continents-failings<\/a>] and then make sure that solutions are found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the Africa won the World Cup fallacy is expertly taken apart in a tweet by footballmemes:  [see https:\/\/twitter.com\/footballmemesco\/status\/1018544252060602369?lang=en<\/a>]. It\u2019s also grossly insulting to African football, implying that African football can only win as a continent with players who chose not to play for an African nation. If that is not insulting African football, what is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

France earned its success, and did so by learning from dismal failure, developing a solution and then delivering success consistently. Rather than claim France\u2019s glory, absorb how the French did it and adapt that to Africa \u2013 it\u2019s long overdue. But that starts by admitting the failure and learning from it \u2013 no pain, no gain. Africa\u2019s suffered the pain, now it needs to learn how to gain from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winning legend \u2013 one of Africa\u2019s great players, Golden Boy, Abdul Razak, is clear on what has to be done. \u201cWe need to reform our football \u2013 period!\u201d he says. \u201cPut football people there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Abdul Razak Karim ‘Golden Boy’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The African Mentality<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Like Ghana, Zambia also failed to qualify for the World Cup Finals \u2013 they had a terrible group, consisting of a recent qualifier for the World Cup, Algeria, and three of the last four winners of AFCON, Nigeria and Cameroon, and themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They don\u2019t offer excuses, or claim false successes. Wedson Nyirenda has departed to coach Baroka FC in South Africa\u2019s Premier Soccer League (PSL). Nyirenda was replaced on a temporary basis by Beston Chambeshi until he too was replaced on a six-month contract by Sven Vandenbroeck, who assisted former Cameroon coach Hugo Broos during the Indomitable Lions\u2019 unexpected triumph in last year\u2019s AFCON, and the unsuccessful campaign to qualify for the recent World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The talk and hopes in Zambia is that he will prove to be the next Herv\u00e9 Renard. But is it another \u2018instant\u2019 fix solution \u2013 the bane of football?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some are concerned about the opportunities being given to white coaches in Africa who have not proved themselves in Africa, or Europe. Vandenbroeck\u2019s task is to qualify for AFCON 2019. Time will tell if he is the new Renard, or another example of a white coach being given an opportunity he would never have had in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The late \u2018Sir\u2019 Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, the only Ghanaian to win the African treble as a coach, railed against the conditions and opportunities given to black coaches [see https:\/\/empowersport.wordpress.com\/category\/cecil-jones-attuquayefio\/<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attuquayefio also played a crucial role in Ghana\u2019s success in the last decade, including nurturing and developing young talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among those to acknowledge his influence is Asamaoh Gyan [see https:\/\/mobile.ghanasoccernet.com\/legendary-ghanaian-coach-cecil-jones-attuquayefio-to-be-buried-today<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plaudits, richly deserved, mask an utterly shameful situation. The conditions Attuquayefio worked under were mind-boggling \u2013 an African treble winner on no win no fee!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what of the present? How does African football progress if even the greats are treated so badly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions Posed<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a lot of examples to look at around the world and learn from,\u201d Zambia\u2019s only athletics World Champion and Olympic silver medallist, Samuel Matete, told me exclusively. Matete is no stranger to football \u2013 he used to train at Nkana FC\u2019s stadium in Kitwe. He possessed such sporting talent that the club wanted him to switch sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He poses questions on Zambia\u2019s future. \u201cWhat is France doing to win the World Cup? What are other countries doing to get the best out of players, because if you stay on the same course and you find that you are not going anywhere, then it\u2019s time to change it or continue to fail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He then poses an important rhetorical question. \u201cWhen will Africa deliver?\u201d Another important question is how will African nations deliver? 2018 was its worst ever showing \u2013 something has to change. Matete\u2019s not alone in wanting that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Satish Sekar \u00a9 Satish Sekar (August 2nd 2018) Disastrous The two year investigation and subsequent expos\u00e9 of corruption at the top of Ghanaian football by [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[293,294,252],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3510"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3510"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3713,"href":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3510\/revisions\/3713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowersmag.com\/empowersmagwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}