Soccer provides succour for struggling developing nations and the Black Satellites are the cream of the global crop, writes Gamal Nkrumah The true blues over Brazil's startling 3-4 loss to Ghana at the FIFA U20 World Cup never gripped Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana. The sounds of the samba drowned out the cries of despair, as Brazil's economic miracle played on. Sport is a misleading guide to current political and economic realities in Brazil and Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. Players must innovate to stay ahead of the beautiful game. Brazil is on the ascendant whatever happens on the pitch, while Ghana in spite of its untapped resources muddles on. As I ponder the implications of Ghana's stunning victory, I realise that there are numerous questions on my checklist. Why was Ghana's celebration of the bi-annual U20 tournament relatively low-key? Why did Egyptians celebrate Ghana's victory as if it were their own? And, what if anything does Ghana's triumph mean to the Ghanaian economy? Brazil is one of the world's most promising emerging economies. Poor developing countries dream about winning world football tournaments like poor people fantasise about winning the lottery. Nevertheless, a national (even continental) reaction to winning sports trophies is often overestimated as a guide to rational conduct. Ghana's glory was godsend. It is interesting to recall that Egypt won the African Cup of Nations in Ghana last year. Ghanaian crowds cheered the triumphant Pharaohs. Yet Ghanaians are incapable of completely getting carried away by football fever. "The secret of our success is the professionalism of our players and the management of our team. Teamwork is key to our success, and it was a hard- earned victory even though we played with only ten players. We have been working very hard on creating a winning team and we won," President of the Ghana Football Association Kwesi Nyantakyi told Al-Ahram Weekly. That Ghana is raising its football profile ahead of South Africa is certain. Ghana hit the headlines by becoming the first African team to win the trophy since its inception in 1977. "This is the first time that an African nation won the trophy and we feel that we won for all of Africa, and not just Ghana. There is a strong sense of African unity and that was clear from the overwhelming support we received from the cheering Egyptian crowds. Ghana's victory will undoubtedly put the country on the international map and I believe that this victory will inevitably attract the attention of investors and will be of great economic benefit for Ghana. It will be a boost for the Ghanaian economy and will attract foreign investment. Sports, after all, is big business," Nyantakyi added. "I'm emotional, but I'm happy," Ghanaian Black Satellites stopper Daniel Agyei proclaimed ecstatically after the match. Fearing the worst and wearying of the mood swings of tawdry African teams that let their supporters down at critical moments -- including the Egyptian U20 team, which lost 3-1 to Costa Rica -- the Egyptian public sought solace in the impressive performance of Ghana's Black Satellites. Egypt's national team the Pharaohs won last year in Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations. Tit for tat, Ghana's youthful Black Satellites (younger offspring of the national team the Black Stars) won this year in Egypt. Just as Ghanaian fans fanned the Pharaohs' flame, so Cairenes returned the favour in true African solidarity. Unlikely as it seems, Ghana and Egypt, in some inexplicable fashion, have had their destinies intertwined. Ghana's founding father and first president Kwame Nkrumah married an Egyptian. Five decades have passed since. For much of the past 40 years, though, little has brought a sense of nail-biting excitement between the two countries other than football. Yes, Egypt and Ghana are the only two African countries that produced secretary-generals of the United Nations -- Boutros Boutros- Ghali and Kofi Annan respectively, a fact easy to overlook given the banal denouement of their less-than-spectacular performances conducting the world body. "This was the first time that I sincerely felt that Egyptians genuinely celebrate their Africanness and identify with the African continent. The sheer jubilation of Egyptians was impressive. It was overwhelming and most spectators regarded the game as some kind of family outing. Even my 10-year-old son Ahmed supported Ghana. Ghanaian resilience is significant," political activist Wael Khalil told the Weekly. In Accra, the Black Satellites were paraded through the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in the heart of the city through Accra High Street to Osu Castle, the seat of the government to meet with President John Atta-Mills who sang their praises and showered them with accolades. They, in turn, presented him with their personal trophies -- the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe awards. When Agyeman Badu slotted the ball past Brazilian goalkeeper Rafael, history was in the making. When the initial shock of Ghana's victory wore off, analysts began to take a closer look at the talent of the young Ghanaian players. "It was absolutely great," Ghana's Andre Ayew, exclaimed ecstatically in Cairo after the match was over. Andre Ayew, who scored two goals during the tournament, is the son of the legendary Ghanaian player Abedi Pele, and captain of the Ghanaian team. "We fought like dogs to win it. We are world champions," he added. Ghana's triumph has not been an easy process -- not least for Ghanaian players. "The two best U20 teams reached the final and it took a sudden-death penalty shootout to separate us," Ghanaian coach Sellas Tetteh said in all humility. "I'm so proud of my boys," Sellas said. Striker Dominic Adiyiah became an instant celebrity both in Ghana and abroad. There are lessons from Brazil's failure to win. Must Brazil bury its fury and pain? Does it have time to dwell too long on this mishap? True, there is more to Ghana's triumph than first meets the eye. And, this was most obvious when the Ghanaian team went down to 10 players. Still, the Ghanaian team scored 16 goals during the tournament. The Ghanaians have learnt that patience and perseverance pay dividends and ensure rich rewards. In broad outline, the Ghanaian team does not intend to rest on its laurels. There are also other lessons to be drawn from Ghana's success. With hindsight, both events look inevitable. There is a widespread feeling of confidence among Ghanaians. "To be the first African country to win this cup is absolutely fabulous," Dominic Adiyiah, chosen best player in the tournament declared. He was also top scorer with eight goals. Teamwork was the greatest advantage of the Ghanaians, Ghanaian coach Sellas Tetteh stressed. Teamwork on the pitch brought Ghana a signal achievement. Politicians could do worse than emulate their sporting compatriots. Ghana is still reeling from the International Monetary Fund structural adjustment programmes which resulted in massive layoffs and sweeping privatisation. Perhaps one reason Ghanaian youths have resorted to dribbling is that successive governments with their neoliberal advisers have failed to kick- start the economy. Sadly, Ghanaian plans appear to be motivated by short-term political, not policy, objectives. Although the politicians won't quite say it quite so openly. This focus on short-term gains is unwise in economic terms because long-term policy objectives must come before short-term political goals. That, I suppose, is a significant difference between politics and sports, where scoring goals without delay counts. Despite all the parallels we draw between sports and politics there are still powerful overtones between the two with echoes of economics to boot. Perhaps Brazil could send an economic coach or two from President Lula da Silva's Workers Party. A significant reduction in child labour, land reform, job creation -- such are the elements of political strategy that take their lead from the sporting ethos.
