One thought that superstition in Ghana football had ceased to be a topic for discussion until a funny incident reared its head in the recent premier league match between Wa All Stars and Obuasi Ashgold at Wa on Sunday June 8

For some strange reasons both teams decided to field ten players instead of the normal eleven. The eleventh player for each side stayed on the touchline until 15 minutes to time when they both signaled the assistant referees to be fielded. The Ashgold player Phillip Boampong was the first to enter the pitch followed immediately by Owusu Sefah of All Stars.

The story doing the rounds was that a medicine man had warned that the side that fielded eleven players would lose the match. The suspicion is that both teams might have consulted the same “oracle man” who made the same prescription for success. Interestingly the match ended in a goalless draw and you may draw your own conclusion.

Even though the FIFA laws of the game allows teams to field a minimum of seven players for a match the behaviour of Wa Stars and Ashgold has attracted a lot of comments from the football public who think the two clubs have brought the name of the game into disrepute and must therefore be sanctioned. The point is the two players should have joined their colleagues on the reserve bench if they were on the reserve list but to stand along the touchline spying on each other to see who goes in first is bad sportsmanship.

Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi who is incidentally founder of Wa All Stars felt short of condemning the behaviour of the two clubs. In a press interview he said any club that performs superstitious acts that impede the smooth running of the league will be punished.

Football analysts say the FA President, a lawyer by profession was very careful in his submission. He did not condemn superstitious acts by clubs so long as it does not impede the smooth running of the league It is going to be a tall order defining how one’s behaviour would impede the smooth running of the league.

Superstition in football has been with us for a long time. In the "colonial days" certain clubs would refuse to use approved gates of entry to the stadium and some daring players would even scale the walls. The sprinkling of ill smelling liquids powder and rotten eggs on the field of play was then a common feature.

Luckily modern building technology has made it almost impossible to scale most stadium walls and the sprinkling of water etc has been banned. This may be the reason why Wa All Stars and Ashgold are introducing new tactics to dodge sanctions. This to me is unsporting.

The modern way of teams coming out of the dressing room together in the company of referees must be emulated by all. Gone should be the days when faceless medicine men would put fear in players that they would die if they scored a goal. Superstition in Ghana football must stop.