GHANA 2008 IGNITES NATIONALISM (Page 24)

Story: Tim Dzamboe, Ho

THE upcoming African Nations Cup final dubbed Ghana 2008 has ignited the spirit of nationalism among Ghanaians as it is the wish of many of them that the Black Stars who are hosting the tournament win the cup.
Interviews conducted among a cross-section of football fans in Ho indicated that despite the fact that the venues for the tournament were far located from the Volta Region, a sizeable number of fans were planning to travel to those places to watch the matches live.
Miss Janet Dunyo, who operates a drinking spot near the Ho central market, said it was her aim to see the players personally and in action, adding that Ghana 2008 would bring money and promote tourism, business and fruitful interaction.
She said although none of the matches would be played in Ho, she was optimistic that the tournament would open a gateway for business because fans of the eastern corridor of the nation would certainly pass through the region, especially Ho, for hospitality and refreshment.
“The cup is already in Ghana, no two ways about that, ” she declared.
Mr Wisdom Tsiagbe, who was in the tournament’s branded shirt, said he knew Ghana was going to be the best team to win the cup.
He said he was preparing to go to Tamale by air to watch the matches at that venue, expressing the happiness that Ghana was hosting the tournament that would expose the nation to the international community.
For his part, the Executive Director of the Green Globe Society in Ho, Mr Samuel Deh, said it was nice that Ghana was hosting the tournament, but prayed that the professional players of the Black Stars should put the interest of the nation above all other considerations.
He said they should not relax but should give of their best to enable the nation to win the cup. “They should fight hard so that the cup will remain in Ghana,” he stressed.
The Volta Regional Editor of the Ghanaian Times, Mr Winston Tamakloe, said football was the passion of the nation and that history favoured the nation to win the cup.
According to him, with the rich store of experience from 1978 through 2002 when the nation hosted and co-hosted the tournament, the signs were clear on the wall that the tournament was going to be the best in view of the calibre of teams and technical men that would be assembled.
He, however, said the issue of “host and win” as had happened to some countries, was not going to be easy for Ghana.
“We have to fight very hard, it is not logic or spontaneous but demands patriotism and discipline on the part of the players and the technical men,” Mr Tamakloe stressed.
Mr Dzigbordi Asuo of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in Ho said there were no signs of the tournament apart from the venues because there were no flags and banners in towns in the Volta Region.
When interviewed, some taxi drivers who had hoisted the national flag on their cars said they bought them because of the beauty of the flags and that those who sold them should have explained the essence of the occasion to them.