“This England team deserves to be lauded as heroes not racially abused on social media. Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves”. -Boris Johnson
(British Prime Minister)
BEYOND “Io sono amalato” (I am hungry) and “siamo tutti uguali” (we are all the same), we cannot compete with those who are glib-tongued in Italian. Ours is a spattering knowledge-we had once visited Rome (at the invitation of the Ghanaian ambassador) and seen the Appian Way, the first Roman road only about 20 feet wide. Surprise? Yes-after learning about the “big road” in “Tete Romafoc Akokocdurufoc Bi”.
As for English, we had lived with it for such a long time that, without care, it is assuming a higher recognition than our mother-tongue, Twi. Colonisation had forced us willy-nilly, to adopt everything English, sometimes unconsciously but many times consciously to guide our lives.
We were introduced to football (ball for foot) while in school, and we were taught that football originated from England. Half-truth, to the extent that while “modern” soccer can be traced to England as the “Christian gentleman’s game” played only by the upper class, football (or a form of it similar to the present one) had existed long before Christ was born. The English Rules in Association football were established in 1863, and in the 1870s labour reforms made Saturdays half-day working schedule (the rest of the day for football).
Some form of football was played in China called Tsu-Chu (or Cuju) developed during the Han dynasty in the 3rd to 2nd century B. C., and Sepp Blatter, head of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) declared in 2005 that Linzi in China, is the birth place of football. Ancient Greece had a game similar to football, called “Episkyos” (common ball) with the use of hands and feet past a white line (skuros) on the opposite team side.
In Rome, the “Harpastum” (carried away) was a violent game, much like football apparently copied from Greece and was patronised by the virile young men (but women also practiced it).
In 1600, the Mayans (Pok a Pok) and Aztecs (Tlatchli) of Central America had a form of sports like football, called “kickball game”. It featured two teams, and the aim was to keep the ball in the air. The game was played for religious (not recreational) reasons, and members of the losing team could be sacrificed.
Scotland, in 1424, passed various Acts of Parliament to ban the sport, but eventually got the first soccer team formed in Edinburgh in 1824.
The colonizers in Ghana introduced the Gold Coasters to soccer, and by 1911, Accra Hearts of Oak, was formed, Asante Kotoko had been in 1935, each team with a large following. And international patronage of the game has swollen to greater heights, especially since 2010 when Asamoah Gyan missed a penalty kick that would have sent Ghana to the semi-finals in a World Cup match with Uruguay in South Africa. The name of Luiz Suarez who used his hand to keep Dominic Adiyiah’s goal- bound shot back into play will for a long time be remembered for a bad reason. The resultant penalty was taken by Asamoah Gyan, who missed the goal miserably.
But what is the sad story about this year’s Union of European Football Associations. England had failed to even reach the finals since 1966, the fans thought could end the 55years drought. Italy had not won the cup since 1968.
Both teams thought the Cup was “coming home” and Luke Shaw set the ecstatic English fans praying for more with a goal in the second minute. After 120 minutes of play, the scores remained 1-1. “Let’s Bring it Back Home, Harry”, the fans chanted.
During the penalty shootouts, the two whites in the English team: Harry Kane and Harry Maguire scored. The three blacks in the English team: Marcus Rashford, Jordon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, could not get the ball past Gialuigi Donnarumma, the Italian goalkeeper.
The hearts of the English fans were broken: they were crestfallen. Racial abuse started: Marcus Rashford’s mural was defaced. (The 23-year old black English player had been the toast of Manchester with feeding the school kids there. A restaurant followed Rashford’s example: “We don’t’ want any child to go to bed hungry in Manchester…”). Words relating to the black man’s unfortunate history were thrown out into the open-mostly on Twitter and Instagram. Monkey, banana, slave… what a shame. Some blacks suffered physical torture.
But the backlash soon after was somewhat soothing: Musa Okwanga a sports writer wrote: “Hate is a strong word. But the racist relying on black English footballers to bring them glory as if they were their servants, then turning on them as soon as they fell short of their dreams, have my deepest contempt”.
Priti Patel MP noted: “I am disgusted that England players who have given so much for our country this summer have been subject to vile racist abuse on social media. It has no place in our country and I back the police to hold those responsible accountable”.
Harry Kane remarked; “Three lads who were brilliant all summer had the courage to step out and take up a pen when the stakes were high… if you abuse anyone on social media you’re not an English fan and we don’t want you”.
And the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William who is the President of the English F.A. stated: “I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match, it is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behavior. It must stop now”.
Rome savoured Italy’s victory. After landing in Rome Fiumicino Airport the enchanted fans celebrated their win as they carried Chielinni aloft with the trophy. “Long live Italy”, they chanted. The newspapers had headlines; “ll tempo” (the time “Siamo solo no” ( It’s only us) “ La storia siamo noi” (We are the story).
The Italian coach Roberto Mancini had transformed the national team, and after the long stretch of the Covid – 19 pandemic, fans could pour out into the streets, shouting “Azzurri” (the Blues) again.
Football is a game that elicits intense emotions. We all remember the July, 1969 “Soccer War” between Honduras and El Salvador. Salvador‘s President had called the coach and told him”…: to defend the national colours because this match was for our national dignity” It was a two- week fighting after Salvador defeated Honduras 3-2 in a world cup qualifying match. The fighting stopped only when the Organization of American States (OAS) intervened.
We endorse Mario Balotelli’s comment: “I have nothing against monkeys because I’m totally sure a monkey is better than a racist. I am proud to be black!”
We in Ghana have had our sorry moments – the May 9, 2001 Accra Sports Stadium mayhem between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko. Will football exist without emotion?
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From Africanus Owusu-Ansah