With the Ghana Premier League suspended after a hectic first round and Kumasi Asante Kotoko firmly establishing a clear lead to confirm their determination to snatch a record 22nd league triumph, the national focus is undoubtedly on the upcoming African Cup of Nations(AFCON 12) jointly hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

The league had seen former perennial winners, Kotoko and Hearts, trying valiantly to reassert themselves after three seasons of anonymity described by analysts as the end of their unbridled duopoly of the 54 year old competition.

The fact that only four points separate Kotoko from Hearts at the top of the table is an indication that the old warriors are back.  From all indications however, the two giants will face stiff opposition from defending champions Berekum Chelsea who share the second spot with Hearts.

While we wait for the resumption of the league attention will be focused on AFCON 12 where the Black Stars of Ghana are heavily tipped to improve upon their 2010 show of silver medallists and go for the gold. It’s going to be tough though.

The records show that the Stars have been sleeping giants for three decades since they became the first to win the cup four times in Libya 82. Egypt and Cameroun have overhauled that record and their absence from this year’s tournament should be enough motivation for the Stars to restore their high standing in the Africa Cup.

The fact still remains that football is not an exact science. The experts say there is no logic in this sport.   In Angola 2010 for example, few people expected the Black Stars to reach the final with what was touted as a makeshift team but they nearly won the Cup. It is therefore unsafe for anyone to underrate teams like Botswana and Mali.

I am sure John Mensah and his squad are experienced enough to know the dangers in taking things for granted in such high profile championships. Happily they have shown in their two training matches in South Africa where they drew  1-1 with  a third string Bafana  Bafana side and  beat premier league club side Platinum Stars 2-0 that they actually mean business.

AFCON 12 promises to be another great football showpiece  and I admire the enthusiasm and seriousness with which all the African stars plying their trade  in the top European leagues are approaching the competition.

For sentimental reasons, I would like to dub this years’ competition the “Abedi Pele show”.

Flashback 1928: PNDC chairman  Jerry Rawlings welcoming the Black Stars  the Black Stars on their arrival from Libya where Ghana won the Africa Cup for the then unprecedented  four times with a 7-6 penalty win over Libya. On the extreme left is Abedi Pele the youngest player on the team.

 

The Ghanaian football legend should definitely have an emotional attachment to AFCON 12. Let me explain.

It is exactly 30 years ago that as teenager Abedi Pele made his debut in the African Cup in Libya 1982 and was in Ghana’s record breaking four time Africa champions squad. At 18, he was the youngest player in the team. Ten years later in Senegal 1992, he had made huge progress and captained the Black Stars team that missed the cup by a whisker through a marathon penalty kick session against Cote d’Ivoire.

Twenty years after that near miss, Abedi Pele a proud family man, has produced two brilliant sons, Dede and Jordan who are the youngest and key figures in the Black Stars team trying to win the Cup for the first time since his magnificent debut in 1982. This to me is fantastic and calls for celebration.

I don’t know what the numerologists will say about these dates and figures but I find them quite fascinating. Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.

 

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Jan 14 1996: Black Stars beat Cote d’Ivoire 2-0 in their opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Anthony Yeboah and Abedi Pele scored for Ghana.