SOCCER SUPERSTAR STARSTRUCK SYNDROME PART 2

....We saw the Tahitian national team members holding the hands of their Spanish counterparts a few seconds longer than necessary in the handshakes before kick-off at the Confederations Cup. You knew the Tahitians were going to get a stuffing and they did.

Zambia played against Ghana and the Chipolopolos thought Michael Essien was a walking TV. They watched and watched and watched him. You knew they were going to lose. They lost.

So the point is that too many times, too many players bask in the moment of sharing the same pitch with their “heroes” instead of trying to win the bloody game!

Now, these Pharaohs – Ghana’s opponents - are not playing in a domestic league. Political upheaval within the great nation of Egypt has affected domestic football but paradoxically not the national team. They cruised through the first bit of the qualifiers barely breaking a sweat. They made mince meat of Zimbabwe, Guinea and Mozambique (I think) home and away.

A few of my Ghanaian friends won’t admit it but they see a few skirmishes here and there within the Cairo stadium as the only way the Black Stars can come away with three boardroom points from Egypt.

Scratch that, for me I am half-hoping that the lack of local football will translate into hours of football-watching in the camp of the Egyptians. And I am half-hoping (again) that the Egyptians see the devastating form of some of the Black Stars on TV. I mean, hell, I wish the mere mention of names like KEVIN PRINCE BOATENG, KWADWO ASAMOAH, ASAMOAH GYAN, SULLEY ALI MUNTARI, ANDRE AYEW, EMMANUEL AGYEMAN BADU etc have them crapping their long-ass robes.

With a bit of luck, the Pharaohs will spend their time star-gazing the Black Stars as Ghana bangs in the goals. After all, Bob Bradley does everything but win against Ghana.

Disclaimer: In the opening game of the Italia ’90 World Cup, Argentina turned up with the most frightening line-up in the history of frightening line-ups against a nameless Cameroonian side.

As if that was enough, Diego Maradona before kick-off, juggled the match ball on his left shoulder about 1,000 times in a packed stadium easy as only a genius could. You’d have thought he was in his own backyard. Psychologically, the world’s mind had been bent but Cameroon had other ideas. Nobody, including the bookies, gave Cameroon a dog’s chance. Yet Cameroon won the game, breaking a few Argentinean legs for good measure. Sometimes names don’t mean a thing! (Insert evil laugh here)