Sports
Ghana’s Gyan Hungry For More Glory
It is ironic that Asamoah Gyan was once again being hailed as an unlikely hero throughout Ghana after scoring the late penalty that saw off Serbia 1-0 in Group D. It was not long ago that the Rennes striker almost walked out of the Black Stars team after overwhelming public criticism.
In the run-up to the 2008 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana, as hosts, were feeling all of the pressure of expectation, and despite being just 22 years of age, Gyan was singled out as the weakest link in the side. After things reached fever pitch, he had his bags packed and was ready to leave the team, only to be persuaded to stay at the last minute. And though he was clearly shaken, he set aside his nerves to score the first goal of the event from the penalty spot.
But then, the Accra native has been scoring significant goals for his country from the very start, tallying on his international debut to seal victory in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Somalia, just days before his 18th birthday. In fact, he has opened the Black Stars’ account at each of the last four major tournaments, including against the Czech Republic at Germany 2006, Ghana’s long-awaited first world finals.
“If you see the past record, I was the first guy to score for Ghana in the World Cup – ever,” he told Tidesports source proudly. “And I was the first guy to score in 2008 in the opening game. And I scored [Ghana’s] first goal in the 2010 African Cup of Nations. This World Cup I was going there to just make sure I keep doing what I have been doing. I was saying to myself, ‘if you score once again you can be the happiest man’, you know. So when I was playing I was just concentrating, and I knew, I knew, I would score. I knew I would score, definitely.”
Scoring is what Gyan does best, so it is odd that before every tournament, observers wait for another rising Black Star to take his place leading the attack. But a classy Cup of Nations earlier this year – he registered three goals, including two match-winners in the knock-out rounds, to be named in the team of the tournament for the losing finalists – and a fine season in Ligue 1 has left the former Udinese player brimming with self-belief.
“I’ve scored quite a lot of goals with my club and with the national team, and I’ve regained my confidence,” said the man who now has a strike rate of one goal in every other one of his 40 internationals. “For a lone striker to be scoring all the time boosts your confidence.”
Gyan is not only growing in stature on the pitch, he has become a one of the “elder statesmen” in what is the youngest team at South Africa 2010. But he sees his role as less task master than jester. “I’m the leader,” revealed Gyan with a sly smile. “I’m the one who leads the singing. It makes people happy. I make people laugh to forget about football. Sometimes there might be pressure on you, but if you just forget it, you will gain confidence.
“We are really enjoying it because, for me, this is my second time at a World Cup and I’m the funniest guy in the team, you know. So I make people laugh, it’s fun when we are together,” he added. While saying that the relaxed attitude is what makes the team close – the players even keep tabs on each other via phone during their long European club seasons – Gyan is quick to point out that this version of the four-time African champions has a bite behind its smile. He credits the 3-0 second-round loss to Brazil at Germany 2006 with teaching the side a lesson.
“We learned a lot of things against Brazil,” he said, when comparing this team to four years ago. “I think this time we went in calm and relaxed because we had studied before, so we knew what we were going to do. I think there is a big difference in that we’ve gained a bit of experience in the World Cup.”
Gyan also dismisses the idea that pressure may now creep into the team after the surprise sprung on Serbia, a team many tipped as dark horses in the tournament. “We are better in the world now, too,” he explained again looking back over four years of growth. “In 2006 we did quite well, we went to the next stage, but this time Ghanaians are expecting more from us. That is why we are also going like wounded lions. Like a wounded lion, you know? So I’m hoping we just qualify for the next stage and then we see what happens from there.”
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN) Rivers State Chapter has set up five standing working committees on Tuesday, in its general congress.
At the playoff held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, the team of Canice Abua, Michael Emmanuel, Daniel Adeleye, and Abubakar Yusuf was majestic as they restored Nigeria’s hope in a sport that once gave the country so much joy.
Speaking after the final game, Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, Victor Ochei, said the Davis Cup feat is the stepping stone to better days in the sport, adding that the federation has set up programmes that will help the budding talents across the country play at the same level as their counterparts in other tennis-developed countries.
Ochei said: “The whole aim of having this new board is to lift the sport to the level we used to be. I tell you, tennis is taking a new shape in Nigeria. We are putting everything and anything to make that work happen.”
Ochei said that the NTF has looked at sponsorships and how to get the emerging players compete at the same level with their peers elsewhere, adding that the federation is working on organising local competitions and helping the players to compete in international championships.
“We believe that with what we are doing now, sponsors will come to us to organise new competitions. But beyond that, there’s a strategic growth development plan, a 10-year development plan, which the board is working on.
“The programme will ensure that we catch them young. This is because we believe that to create champions, we must start grooming them early. The champions you are seeing today were those groomed yesterday.”
“The process of building new champions will include building the coaches, the players, the infrastructure and sensitising the parents so that we can start catching them as young as age five to six.
“By the time that we groom them through 10 years of training, at age 15, 16, you will see fantastic professional players.”
To achieve the federation’s plans, Ochei admits that the NTF needs a lot of investment, adding that the board is working at realising the funds quietly and tenaciously.
The NTF president acknowledged the contributions of former international stars like Nduka Odizor and Sadiq Abdullahi to the bid to rejuvenate Nigerian tennis, adding that NTF is open to collaborating with former players who know what it takes to play at the highest level of the sport.
He said, “Nduka Odizor is around as one of our VIP personalities. He has been psyching up the boys in the battle with Uzbekistan. He will not enter the court to play, but his mere presence is enough motivation to the boys, who will want to be like him in the future.
“You see, the type of support the Odizors, the Imonities and the Abdullahis got in their time is no longer there, but we are revamping it with the support of our stakeholders in the Diaspora.
“It will appear to take us some time, but I can tell you that the Diaspora support is massive.”
In its bid to get good results in this year’s Commonwealth Games, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has disbursed N200 million as training grants to 26 athletes.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The NSC stated that the grants were disbursed through its Elite and Podium Board, noting that N200 million was allocated to select top-performing athletes.
The beneficiaries are both foreign-based and home-based, the NSC said, adding that it will cater for their training and preparation expenses.
According to the NSC, the recipients span several sports, including athletics, wrestling, weightlifting, and para-sports, in line with the Commission’s mandate to prioritise athletes’ welfare and high-performance development.
The Commission added that the disbursement follows the establishment of the Elite and Podium Board, created to implement a scientific and institutionalised support system aimed at sustaining peak performances by Nigerian athletes at major international competitions.
NSC Director General, Bukola Olopade, said the Commission, under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was established to restore confidence and provide renewed hope for Nigerian sportsmen and women by placing strong emphasis on athlete welfare.
“The training grants disbursed to 26 athletes across different sports followed a careful and professional selection process by the Yusuf Ali-led Elite and Podium Board. This is our way of reassuring our athletes that their welfare remains our utmost priority,” he said.
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