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Weight of fans expectation
Andre-Ayew
Wearing a national team jersey is a footballer or by extension, any sports athlete’s biggest moment of pride.
The message is clear when footballers appear on the field of play dressed immaculately in the attire of the national team – they are the best among the lot.
There can’t be any greater gratification than that; and it is the height every footballer of athlete aim to attain.
At international podiums where players or athletes line-up for national anthems of their countries to be played, one sees the emotions of such players which sometimes transcends to the over 40,000 ‘mouth mouth’ coaches gathered to not just enjoy a beautiful game of football but also analyse and judge what players and coaches are not getting well.
The pinnacle of this passion can be observed in the players’ facial expression and their own rendition of the anthems.
It even makes the fan momentarily think he is also a footballer and often seen jog or run around after the anthem.
After these pre-match formalities, fans occupy their seats and begin to enjoy their popcorns, ‘Suya’ and ‘khebabs’ with other accompaniments.
However, that marks the beginning of 90 minutes of intense action for the players with a huge weight of expectation to deliver.
Many a time, this weight of expectation on the players is usually downplayed by the fans who feels winning games at all cost is a right.
And, especially in the case of Ghana which is considered a powerhouse, wins must even come in a certain way.
Having become acquainted with dominant performances ending with cricket scores, especially against continental minnows, a narrow win like 1-0 or 2-1 is considered unacceptable.
But a recent interview granted by Black Stars skipper, Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew in France has brought to the fore the effects of those high expectation on the players who wear the national team jerseys.
In the reported interview with Canal+, he highlighted the gravity of being part of the Black Stars team and tagged the Ghanaian jersey as a ‘heavy one.’
Ayew may be right on this assertion and could even be something previous captains have stayed with over the years but never mustered the courage to spew them out.
But in building a strong formidable team capable of meeting the expectation of the fans, it is important to have a group of players who can overcome the ‘weight’ that comes with wearing the national team jersey.
Pressure with national teams are not only associated with the Black Stars. It is a global concern among players which interestingly or fortunately doesn’t affect their interest in donning the ‘heavy’ jersey.
Demanding positive results from national teams is not a bad practice and fans would not change their stance on that.
However, like Ayew indicated in the interview, “The players must get used to it by understanding what it means to wear this jersey, which means a lot to millions of people. The jersey is ‘very heavy’ to wear and you need to have broad shoulders. I know we will bounce back. We are going through a bad time but we will get through this, I am sure.”
Perhaps, as the Black Stars get ready to commence qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the back of their poor showing at the 2023 AFCON, this expectation of fans and the ability to overcome it will keep ringing in their ears to remind the huge responsibility on their shoulders.
By Andrew Nortey
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
