One swan, the British say, does not make a summer. But the performance of Accra Hearts of Oak and city rivals, Great Olympics, who sold a classic afternoon of enterprising football to a fairly large audience of soccer loving fans in their local derby at the Ohene Djan Stadium last Sunday, gives enough hints that football at the local level could be very much alive.
For some time now, the national soccer league has been played at a mundane pace to empty arenas throughout the country. Fans have responded to the dire game on offer by voting with their feet. Instead of watching what had been on offer at home, many football fans had attached their devotion to the various European leagues, especially the English Premier league.
Officials of the Ghana Football Association and the Premier League Board have been at their wits end trying to entice football fans to the various stadia to no avail. It has been a problem of gigantic proportions convincing football lovers to patronize their own. Paradoxically, at the time football fans were voting with their feet on local matches, players of the national senior soccer team, the Black Stars, attained near cult status in the eyes of football lovers at home.
Football fans virtually worshipped at the feet of the players. The sterling performances of the Black Stars in the 2006 World Cup in Germany and again in South Africa in 2010, transformed players of the national team into saints in the eyes of adoring fans at the centre of the earth. For a long time now, Ghana football has presented two contrasting images of itself.
On the international front, football in Ghana is one of the nation's most patronized commodity. On the other hand, local football has provided many unsolved riddles with dwindling attendances and very mundane performances on the field of play. The performance of Hearts and Olympics last Sunday has raised hopes that there is life after all the years of disappointments on the local scene. The Chronicle is particularly happy with the attendance.
It was not huge compared to what used to happen in the good old days of the local league. But the fact that the stadium in the national capital was nearly full on the day when Chelsea and Arsenal were involved in a cliff-hunger of a game in London, which was live on television back home, suggests that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The Chronicle believes the hype given the match by Metropolitan Television especially, helped to build interest in the match. The two teams also did their best to live up to the billing of the rivalry. We would like to believe that this will encourage the media to lead from the front in our endeavour to sell the local league. If the media focus more on the local league as against the hype in the various European leagues, it would help build confidence in our local game and make it a marketable commodity.
We are happy to note that the return of Richard 'Olele' Kingson, veteran Gordon Attram and the return of Dan Quaye, 34, has helped to re-energize Great Olympics. Hearts on the other hand, appear to have gained tremendously from their forays into Africa. The victory of the Phobians over Olympic Ngor of Senegal and Djoliba Club of Mali demonstrate that Hearts of Oak are on the mend.
We would like to recommend to other veteran players who have retired from the various European leagues and who still have the ability to join local clubs. They could be a tremendous influence on the young ones coming through. It is the hope and prayer of The Chronicle that the revival in the fortunes of the two traditional teams, would resonate in their supporters base.
We would like to believe too that the revival in Accra, would rub influence the league other centers in Ghana. If the local league thrives, it will surely rub off on all the five male national teams in Ghana -Starlets, Satellites, Meteors, local Black Stars and the Black Stars. Forward with Ghana football!
Source: Chronicle