Lessons from Sudan, Libya and Algeria

Out and about with David Kyei:

24th July 2007

Correspondent:  David Kyei

Kotoko in not too long ago was in Sudan for a friendly international, and luckily, I was a member of the contingent that made the trip.

I count it luck because even though I have been to that country, Khartoum to be precise, before in 2005, the unbearable heat and dust prevented me from going into the city centre to see the way and manner they go about their normal duties.

Though I saw a lot about the good and the bad side of that city, I would like to concern myself more with the good side so that together, we all become better people in the field of sports, especially football.

Sudan by their position on the globe may not be that endowed in a diversity of natural resources, but the fact that they have struck crude oil in very high commercial quantities is enough for them to live a life that one way or the other make them happy.

It is therefore not a surprise that the face of the capital city has changed so much with several construction works being undertaken with amazement.

The fact that Sudan happens to be one of the largest, if not the largest, country in Africa has not in anyway put them in a comfortable position to misuse their available land space. One therefore sees a well planned (though dusty due to the Sahara desert influence) streets, with no kiosks and tabletop convenience shops littered around the streets.

They clearly are aware of the fixed nature of the available land space for them and so are making maximum use of the parcels of land. Asides the old buildings that they have started pulling down in the capital, all the construction works are that of the erection of several high-rise building with the shortest of them being a six storey office apartments.

The drive through the city shows that their hotels are well planned that they are seven storeys and above with a fish shaped one under construction right on the banks of the Nile River hitting twenty-two floors.

One other lesson I picked from the country that experiences just about seven rain fails in a year is that, they love to keep where they want green, naturally green.

Portions of the city where they have planted vegetation to beautify are kept so well that one tends to wonder how they are able to keep that greenery when rain is a scarce occurrence.

I an not being an ignoramus by asking a question such as the one above, but the fact that Sudan, in the face of difficulties such as war in the Darfur region and harsh economic situation still take the right steps to cushion their difficulties is something worth commending.

Talking about football, I will say without any fear of contradiction that probably the performance on the field aside, Ghana football does not come near them in terms of infrastructure development.

Kotoko played Al Hilal in 2005 and the match was played at the bona fide stadium of Hilal. Due to the hot afternoons, all their league matches are played late in the day and the stadium had been equipped with a working flood light. Once again, the pitch was so green that I at first thought it was a synthetic one, until I set foot on it during the inspection of teams.

I only had the chance to see the Hilal stadium, but back in Sudan this year at the invitation of Merriekh, I saw more to convince me that Sudanese football clubs at least knew what they were about.

Merriekh can boast of a very fine stadium, a classic three-storey clubhouse with all the modern facilities of football and other sports that Merriekh has teams on. Yes, Merriekh besides football also has a well-composed basketball and valley ball teams that also compete in a national league of a sought.

The General Manager of Merriekh, Mohamed Gaffer Goriesh, told me in one of our chats that they were in the advance stage of their consideration to start an athletics club, where their emphasis will be on the training of long distance runners for Sudan, since that is the area they have a comparative advantage.

I thought it was only Merriekh and Hilal who had stadia of their own until I was corrected that there were four other clubs who also had their own stadia.

I also got to know that in the face of the stifling economic situation that Sudan found herself in, the government always managed to squeeze some funding for the local clubs, especially when they play in continental matches.

It is therefore not a surprise that after over thirty years of missing out in nations’ cup gone by, Sudan have finally secured a ticket for CAN2008 to be hosted here in Ghana next year.

Sudan will not only be making an appearance after that long period of absence, but they will also be seeking to make a record by parading probably the oldest player in the competition.

Their national team captain and also the captain of Al Merriekh, Mohamed Adjlob, who either will be, or be hitting forty-three years is the main man on whose broad shoulder will lay Sudan’s attempt to make an impact in the competition.

At that age, Adjlob is so fit and green when on the ball that one tends to wonder if he was not rather exaggerating on his age. The secret of the success of that man I am told, is hard training and a high sense of discipline on and off the pitch.

I am told he is a direct opposite of what many will brand here as a footballers life style, because he abstains from drinking alcohol and does not do the other many vices that tends to weaken the players.

It was amazing how the members of the Kotoko contingent kept talking about his performance as a player. I hope they will pick a lesson or two from him and apply it to their lifestyles here in Ghana.

Talking about competitions takes me to Algeria where the All Africa Games is winding up to an end. After cries for funding and all sorts of emoluments to enable the Ghana Olympic Committee present a crack contingent of medal hopefuls, Ghana finally made it with huge surprises that should make some people proud whilst others will have to hide their faces from the shame that awaits them here at home.

I remember how teams such as the physically challenged and that of the athletics complained about how they were being treated as second fiddles to the football teams on the contingent.

Even in Algeria, news abounded of how the football team was moved out of the games village when they complained about what they described as poor conditions at the village.

After all that pampering that was only to fetch us only one medal, what did we achieve from the Black Meteors?

Nothing, but a humiliating performance from a coach who saw his appointment as the Meteors’ coach as a fine opportunity for him to prosecute his personal agenda.

If not for his personal agenda, what influenced his decision to sideline his first choice players for those who played little or not at all in the qualification matches for the games.

Was it not Eric Nii Baah who became the hero by pulling some wild saves to ensure that they qualified for the games and beyond? Why them was he left on the bench whilst an under-achieving goalkeeper conceded some ‘senseless’ goals?

As for the reasons given by Jones Attuquayfio for the failure of his team, I will say it is the most hollow and unconvincing reason I have heard in the last decade.

What was Jones trying to achieve when he told the whole nation that he wanted to have a replacement for Nii Baah and the other first team players he had sidelined so that his team did not suffer when their local clubs started their continental campaign.

Crappy and illogical his reasons are, I also think that it will not be a bad idea to haul him before a court of law to explain what he meant by a replacement for the players.

Does he want to tell Ghanaians that we did not want a medal from his team or what? If indeed he wanted a medal for Ghana, why didn’t he parade his best then?

Personally, I had problems with the appointment of Jones from the start because, any cursory look at his record will show that apart from his success with Hearts of Oak, he has not been able to do any meaningful job on any other team that would be worth noting.

We are all witnesses to how Liberty has been performing for the periods that he has been with them.

He could not even qualify Liberty Professionals to the Top 4 of the just ended league, so why then do we have to see him as the alpha and omega of modern football.

I am of the opinion that younger coaches like Paa Kwesi Fabin, Karim Zito, Bashir Hayford and many others not mentioned here would have done a better job by, at least winning a bronze in football for Ghana.

If there is any team or teams worth commending, I will give it to the physically handicapped team. I remember how they complained about being neglected and also the fact that their team was reduced from the original number they wanted to present.

So you see readers, the team did not only make noise, but also made sure that they delivered when it mattered most for Ghana. Nine medals from them including a gold are worth celebrating with them.

The athletes also deserve to be commended for their good work. I am particularly happy for Eric Nkansah, because after as many as three all African games, he finally won his first All African Games individual medal in Algeria.

Left to me alone, Ghana should forget about presenting football team for men at the games and rather give their slots to more individual games players so that we increase our chances of winning more medals.

I am for instance disturbed that we do not present teams for events such as shooting and bowing. Do t3ey want to tell us that we cannot find any sharp shooter in any of our security forces to represent the nation at such international competitions?

What of recruiting an arrow and bow shooter from northern Ghana to do what he knows best at an international competition? I bet that alone can start a revolution in northern Ghana where more people will practice to make the team.

Would we not be opening up the nation to sports by them? Some one must look at the opportunities and think around it for the betterment of the nation.

It is my wish and plea that on their return home, none of our already tired teams is flown on Afriqiyah airways that will transit them in Libya.

That will be a big mistake for them to do because, it has become clear that the Libyan immigration as well as the Afriqiyah ticketing staff in Tripoli do not in any way respect we Africans from the south of the Sahara.

I bet that they see themselves more as Arabs than Africans and so will not mind taking twenty-three passengers to Amman, Jordan, on a hundred and fifty seater plane, than to attend to over two hundred stranded and hungry passengers from sub-Sahara Africa.

The head of state of Libya, Brother Qatherfi, may have his agenda for pursuing the African union agenda, but the actions of his compatriots at their country’s entry point makes me wander if his people are really with him in that endeavour.

On the other hand, should we say it is his personal ambition that he is getting us all into the false belief that he was real? Only time will tell.

Post-Script:

I have learnt with shock the death of one of the faithful readers of this column in Cape Coast.

Jonas Achana, a policeman by profession and a Fabulous by birth will forever be missed for his unique way of supporting the club.

Jonas and I go way back to the time of Hans Kodric at Kotoko, and his story will be rightly told when due.

Jonas, adieus!!!!!!