The return of the Baby Jet!

Tuesday, 21 February 2012 08:54

Written by Myjoyonline.com

Asamoah Gyan is almost folklore in Ghana football tales. For sometime now, the star striker has carried the fortunes of the national soccer team, the Black Stars, on his shoulders.

In the 2006 World Cup in Germany, he scored the fastest goal of the competition, when the national senior team demolished the Czech Republic, then rated the world's number two national side, by 2-0 and got Ghana going into the knock-out stage of the competition.

In the 2010 African Cup of Nations championship in Angola, goals from the Baby Jet were what fueled the famous one goal project, and ensured that the Black Stars featured in the finals, for the first time since Senegal '92.

At the time he missed the last minute penalty in the World Cup in South Africa, the Black Stars were on the verge of making history. Had Asamoah scored from the spot, Ghana would have featured in the semi-finals.

Naturally, Asamoah Gyan's miss from the spot has pained the hearts of many country men and women. Many Ghanaians lost patience with the star-striker and called him all sorts of names.

When he missed from the spot against Zambia in the 28 th African Cup of Nations in Bata in Equatorial Guinea, a number of Ghanaians could not forgive the player for bringing pain instead of the joy of reaching the finals.

Naturally, the loss from the spot, leading to the defeat of the famed Black Stars at the semi-final stage, has been unbearable at home. But, that does not mean Ghanaian soccer fans should subject their prized asset to a barrage of attacks.

Football is a game. A team enters the field of play to win, lose, or draw. That is the cardinal rule in association football. So, a defeat for the Black Stars should not infuriate soccer fans to the extent of subjecting the leading striker to all sorts of attacks.

The Chronicle is happy that officials of the Ghana Football Association have talked Asamoah Gyan out of a rather rash decision. The striker ought to know that by squandering two crucial penalty kicks in the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations, he let his nation down.

Ghanaians take great pride in the Black Stars doing well in international assignments. That is why the striker is held in high esteem in this country. The fact that musicians are queuing up to glorify his name in lyrics, tells a lot about how high the star striker is held in this country.

Ghana is a football loving country. Naturally, therefore, the ordinary people of this country would do anything in their power to make our players happy when they do well. In the same vein, Ghanaians are ready to make their displeasure known, when our players fail to rise to the occasion.

The Chronicle is inviting all players of the national team to understand the feelings of the people of this nation. When Ghanaians complain after defeats, it is not because they hate our players whose contributions or lack of it result in these defeats.

In the meantime, we are happy that the problem over which Asamoah Gyan announced his resignation from the Black Stars has been resolved. The star striker has to take his rightful place in the national team, and continue to give off his best.

A fit and untroubled Asamoah Gyan is a national asset. His return is very much welcome.

While The Chronicle toasts the return of Asamoah Gyan, we do not believe we share in the sentiments of the Ghana Football Association to retain the services of Serbian coach Goran Stevanovic, after the momentous collapse of the team under his charge in the 28 th African Cup of Nations championship in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

He promised us the cup, and failed miserably. We do not believe finishing as the fourth best footballing nation in Africa is anything that should please the average Ghanaian.

The Serbian led the nation to the championship, asking to be judged by the output. The return is nothing to write home about, and he should be made to take a bow. We are being told that asking Goran to go would mean a compensation of $1.8 million. Some of us would like the contract to be looked at again.

Much as the State of Ghana has a duty to keep its part of the bargain, The Chronicle would like to believe that there must be a clause in the contract about performance.

That performance deal has not been adhered to by the coach. In any case, we do not believe Goran has much to offer, and should be made to feel the disappointment he has visited on the nation.

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