Hot!
Pampered bunch in national colours
News that players of the senior national team, Black Stars, were given US$20,000 each as appearance fee at the just-ended African Cup of Nations (AFCON) continues to ruffle a few feathers.
The Stars were bowled out of the AFCON held in Cameroon, finishing last in Group C with a point. That Ghana lost to minnows Comoros 2-3 in a game they had to win and qualify for the last-16 stage, irritated long-suffering Ghanaians fans the more.
Ghana was expected to break the trophy drought in Cameroon, having gone without the continental coronet since the glory of 1982 in Libya. But a couple of shambolic performances ensured that the Stars produced the nation’s worst output in AFCON history. It was painful and harrowing.
But as Ghanaians were brooding over the ignominious loss, emerge the worrying news that even in their mess; the Stars received US$20,000 each for their presence at the tournament. Such amount splashed on the players and officials for appearing in an AFCON tournament? This is crazy! It is even crazier to think that they did not only come home empty-handed, but with their heads down in chagrin.
Questions are being asked here and there; how was such amount splattered on the Stars when even winners of the tournament – Senegal’s Teranga Lions, walked away with financial rewards and plots of land for their stupendous efforts.
“As testament to our gratitude, and in the name of the nation, the players and other members of the official delegation will each receive a special bonus of 50,000,000 CFA ($87,178), and a 200-square metre plot of land in Dakar,” Senegal Head of State Macky Sall said, in his official address to the players.
“They will each also receive a 500-square metre plot of land in the first district of the new city of Diamniadio (30km from the capital).”
Senegal defeated Egypt 4-2 on penalties following a 0-0 draw at the Stade d’Olembe in Yaounde to finally get their hands on the AFCON title after two previous failed attempts in the final.
As someone jokingly said, we would have built skyscrapers for the Ghana players plus a GH¢1m each had they annexed the crown. We have made money the epicentre of everything to the extent that the players do not even see the need to ‘kill themselves’ for the result, aware that irrespective of the upshot, they would still swagger all the way to the bank. That should not be the case.
What at all are we doing to our national team? What kind of seed are we sowing? Are we probably not reaping from the seed we have sown in the past?
The other time (AFCON 2015), we gave players 30 grand Jeep Cherokee vehicles to the Blacks Stars and the management team for placing second, after losing to Cote d’Ivoire during the lottery of penalty shoot-out.
The vehicles – and US$25,000 each, we understood, formed part of the reward Government promised the senior national team for their ‘do well’ performance at the tournament in Equatorial Guinea.
Each Cherokee vehicle cost $76,000 ($2,280,000) and were supplied by Tannick Automobile, a company located on the Tema motorway. We are told there was no government involvement. But does it really matter? It is still our worship of such run-of-the-mill, garden-variety results.
You see the level of mediocrity in the Black Stars? What would they have offered the team if they had conquered Africa? This is simply unfathomable, to say the least!
By now, our authorities should know that such pampering of the national team players has the propensity to irk the public who want to see some real fight and hard work from them on the pitch. We have got to be very careful not to court further disaffection for the team as we plan to build a more formidable and winsome Black Stars in the years ahead.
PlainTalk with John Vigah
Hot!
Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
Hot!
Cervical Cancer alert: Avoid sex at early age
The Programmes Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Mary Efua Commeh, has advised young girls to avoid sex at an early age.
This, she explained, will give the cervix the opportunity to mature before they become sexually active.
“You need to delay what we call the first sexual intercourse as much as possible to give the cervix the opportunity to mature before the person becomes sexually active,” she said.
Dr Commeh stated this in an interview with The Spectator in Accra on Tuesday as a part of the Cervical Cancer awareness month.
According to her, cervical cancer was the second leading female cancer in Ghana with a total of about 3,072 cases annually, and out of that, 1,815 deaths are recorded, representing more than 50 per cent.
She indicated that “If young girls are going to be sexually active, then you need to talk to your parents about being vaccinated.”
She explained that vaccinating young girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) has been found to be a very effective way of preventing cervical cancer.
“There are countries that started HPV vaccination years ago and they are not seeing any cervical cancers now because they would have eliminated most of the high-risk HPVs in their women. So if the high-risk HPV is not there, then obviously the results on cervical cancers are going to go down,” she added.
Dr Commmey said the HPV vaccination is recommended for young girls aged nine to 14 years, adding that it had been found to be highly effective, not just for cervical cancers but for other HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancers, cancers of the vagina, genital warts, amongst others.
She further elaborated that the idea is to put up a barrier before the HPV comes in and that once a young female encounters it, she is already protected.
She also mentioned that for cervical cancers, the main cause is called HPV infection, saying generally, all sexually active women acquire HPV at some point in their lives.
However, the Programmes Manager of NCDs at the GHS mentioned that the body has a way of clearing the HPV, explaining that it is a natural mechanism that goes on, unfortunately, there are a few women whose HPV persists.
Moreover, she noted that the numbers for Cervical Cancer tend to be much higher because at times, clients would wait, and try all sorts of medications before they finally report to the health facility saying “we actually lose some women before they get to the hospitals with over 75 per cent of the cases coming in its third and fourth stages.”
Dr Commey, therefore, called for public awareness while ensuring the availability of information for prevention and control.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
