African footballers: Playing for pride?

African footballers now only play for their national teams because of what they can get from their nation. There are a few patriotic players though, who are contributing their widow's mite to the development of the game. Meanwhile, the majority of them are really after the cash and luxurious treatment that comes with playing for their nation. They will never spare a dime. They are 'money hungry' than the average man.

When you ask footballers these days why they would not
endeavour to sacrifice for their nation considering the numerous financial challenges, they are bold to tell you that they are not philanthropists. A case in point is the Brazil 2014 contingent of Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria. Meanwhile, their colleagues from Greece and Germany are forfeiting their bonuses to be used for other urgent needs at home.

Some Ghanaian players were seen kissing their winning bonuses in
Brazil but did not perform well in the next match.

They had to protest in Brazil over the failure of their governments to deliver cash in their hands. They refused to train for their matches. They fought with officials who were supposed to oversee their welfare and comfort. Even the officials were not left out of the fray. Suspicious deals and blatant lies to spend the nation's hard earned money were witnessed.

And when they finally got it, they were seen on the television kissing bundles of dollar cash! Yes. At a time we passed a law against exportation of dollar-denominated cash above $10,000. The president of the nation was the first to break the law with a $3million (and more) exportation with all the foreign taxes involved to satisfy the greed of these footballers.

Even with all that, their performance was so abysmal to a point that players were scoring own goals. I guess that's why they will, on any day, prefer to play for their clubs and neglect their countries of birth.

Where did we go wrong with our support for African football? I mean the African passionate football supporters! What do we get out of the booty? Heartaches and injuries.

Many people cannot afford some basic needs, but politicians don't care. They are rather interested in abstract activities to line their pockets. We lack potable water and cannot afford the huge electricity bills per month. Gas runs short. Fuel runs short. And yet, as if they've connived with our insensitive and callous politicians, they come making huge demands about appearance fees and winning bonuses!

All we get is scorn. They think they are serving us by carelessly spending our meagre taxes. They think it is those of us complaining about the huge expenditure that should be their supporters and fans. They will never think about whether we have had some balls of kenkey in our bellies.

What they are failing to realize is that no one eats football. We the supporters gain nothing by watching them play apart from satisfying our egos for an hour and a half. They (the players) enjoy football. So, why must we be held to ransom when we don't get anything from them? When they don't get the last pesewa of their winning bonuses, they play carelessly. The money football generates for this nation goes into the coffers of the football association.

What does the government get to help it offer basic amenities to citizens? Nothing! Any little effort to get some of the money given to the football association by FIFA gets interpreted as political interference in football matters.

So, what at all do we get from football, which sometimes raises our blood pressures whenever Ghana is playing? What we are failing to get across to these footballers is that there are workers in this country who work for several years and yet don't get up to what they get from this nation within a 90-minute period.

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