There has been a lot of furore and disquiet in sporting circles following the announcement by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) recently that six players of Ghanaian heritage, plying their trade in Europe, but without previous commitment to Ghana, have now made themselves available to join the Black Stars, and are eager to be part of Ghana’s 2022 FIFA World Cup advTwo weeks ago, the GFA President, Kurt Simeon-Okraku, announced that Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams had decided to offer his services to Ghana after many unsuccessful attempts in the past to lure him to play for the Black Stars. The announcement coincided with the confirmation on social media by the player of his availability for the national team in a video in which the Spain-born player spoke about his desire to connect with the country of his parent’s birth and also leave a legacy.

Either by sheer coincidence or planned, it was announced also that Mohammed Salisu, a pillar in defence for Southampton in the English Premier League, has also affirmed his decision to play for Ghana ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup tournament. The announcement of Salisu’s availability for the national team was not surprising. This is because after refusing to be part of the Black Stars fiasco at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroun, where his services were needed most, Ghanaians were apprehensive when he started making suggestions that he was ready to play for Ghana, following the qualification of the Black Stars for the World Cup tournament.

Other players who have also made themselves available for the national team as far as the World Cup adventure is concerned include Brighton right-back Tariq Lamptey, the Germany-based trio of Stephan Ambrosius, Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer and Patric Pfeiffer.

These were talented players with a youthful exuberance that Ghanaian football fans were yearning to transform the Black Stars into a formidable team before the Africa Cup of Nations. During the World Cup qualifying series when Ghana was struggling to pick a ticket for the elite tournament, some football fans cried out to the national team’s technical handlers and management to do everything in their power to convince these foreign-based compatriots to join forces with the Black Stars, but to no avail. ensure.

It is for this reason that some football fans have expressed their disgust at the eagerness with which players who a few months ago, refused to join forces with the Black Stars, are now lacing their boots in readiness to play at the Qatar World Cup. To the fans, the decision of these foreign-based players to play for Ghana smacks of opportunism, just as was portrayed by Kevin-Prince Boateng in 2010 and 2014 when Ghana qualified to participate in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the 2014 World Cup tournament in Brazil.

Before Ghana’s qualification to the 2010 World Cup tournament, Boateng, who was then making an impact in the German Bundesliga, was offered an invitation to play for Ghana. Sadly, he turned his back on his fatherland. Ironically, he quickly changed his mind after Ghana qualified for the tournament. Again, he picked and chose matches he wanted to play, but gatecrashed the 2014 World Cup party when he made himself available for the qualifying playoff against Egypt.

Based on his splendid performance in the 2010 tournament in South Africa, Boateng’s market value soared, making it possible for him to be offered a lucrative contract to play for AC Milan in Italy. However, after he landed the lucrative contract with the Italian Serie A club, he refused to have anything to do with the Black Stars until the team came close to making another World Cup appearance.

It is this lackadaisical attitude by some foreign-based Ghanaians that has created deep disaffection among football fans for players born overseas to Ghanaian parents who are allowed to play for the national team on a silver platter after others have sacrificed and toiled to qualify the team for major tournaments such as the World Cup. To those football fans, monkeys cannot continue to work for the ‘baboon to chop from the monkey’s labor.’

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Anaba Moses

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