Monday night, after dinner, four porters at the Ghana team hotel pulled me over. Even before crossing the lobby to meet them, I knew the talk will be about football.
After asking the usual questions - "How is Abedi Pele?", "Is Felix Aboagye still playing?", "Do you know Emmanuel Quarshie" and so on, they zeroed in on the meat of the matter.
The fears
Weeks have been spent analyzing security and side issues, and my new friends did not like the negative vibe.
"It is purely the fault of the media that everybody thinks we are in a war zone," complained Samer.
"Did you see any violence since you came?" quips Ibrahim, who is quick to tell how his two kids, Radia and Sala'am walk to school alone without problems, despite being just 10 and 6 years old.
Then we talk football.
It's clear the nation of Egypt is aware of Ghana's physical strength on the field, and the willpower this group of players possess.
Size of task
Yassin, the third porter, says it is nigh on impossible for his country to come back from a 6-1 aggregate score.
I agree, and even Bob Bradley has been brutally frank with himself.
"We are in a special situation where we have to create a miracle before going to the World Cup. Is it possible? Yes, because we are playing against humans. Can we do it? That is going to be hard," the gaffer said at Monday's press conference.
He's led his band of Pharaohs bravely through the best qualifying record in this edition's series before meeting Ghana in Kumasi. Now, the 55-year old American faces the prospect of a nation willing to let him go for that singular act of bringing a mauling such as many Egyptians have never seen.
The four porters, however, do not want Bradley to leave.
The coach will rely on a core group of players from Al Ahly, who have contributed 11 of the 25 men initially called up for today's match up.
The fourth porter, Sheikh, is an Ahly fan and he makes a good point about Ahly's influence.
"We have won our eighth Champions League cup and most of that team are in Bradley's team," he reminds me.
11 of the Ahly team are training with the 14 others in camp, and many Egyptians hope their continental club exploits will rub off their national team colleagues.
A legend's goodbye
One of those 11 from Alhy is legendary - El Saher.
"Let's do this for Egypt. Let's do this for the future, for people to see that we do not go down easily," said Mohammed Aboutreika, on possibly his last competitive game for the Pharaohs.
The 35-year old has been a faithful servant to the national team's cause, and leaving on an emotional high of a good, respectable result at the Air Defense Stadium.
He has seen many battles for club and country where rallying back from defeat is normal. But even "the wizard" is scratching his head for a hex good enough to get the Brazil 2014 ticket from the hands of the Black Stars.
"Aboutreika will play a good game, as always, but he can't get us out of this," Yassin notes, while shaking his head slowly.
Inflicting more injury
And unfortunately for the legendary Aboutreika, Ghana's technical team need this win for various reasons.
For coach Kwesi Appiah, it's yet another World Cup and he wants to get there with style.
"I want to do this for the people of Ghana. They have given me a job and I must do it well. I cannot say because won 6-1 we will rest. Ghanaians put this job in my hands for m to win every game, and that's what we all want to do."
For his assistant, Maxwell Konadu, this is the stepping stone for bigger things for the country and for himself.
"Tuesday would be the biggest day of our careers because what happens will affect us for the rest of our lives."
For captain Asamoah Gyan, it is exactly ten years since his Ghana debut and it must be marked with pomp, dancing and a goal or two.
"I want to finish today and look back with my fellow players and say this is a great day for myself, my family, my team and my country."
Underestimated importance
For Ghana, many people forget the importance of this game. The West Africans may have gone to the last two World Cups, but even so, they want more.
"I have never been to a World Cup before. I listen to my senior players talking about the experience all the time and for me, I want to be there. Because of that, I can't relax today," says defender Rashid Sumaila, who has become a starter only recently.
Injuries to Isaac Vorsah, John Boye and a dip in form for Jonathan Mensah means the South African-based player has been saddled with protecting Ghana's rear.
He's done an appreciable job, and his experience will only be the better for it.
Game kicks off at 6pm local time (6pm CAT), and even though my four friends - Yassin, Sheikh, Ibrahim and Samer - will be on duty at the JW Marriott Hotel, they'll still cheer their side to an unlikely victory.
"We shall rise again after this, but we admit this is your time," finishes Samer, with a gap-toothed grin.
No comments:
Post a Comment
drop your comment about your football hero, their fashion style, like who dresses most, who drink most ,who hang out most like going to club , who plays with woman most and so on