DOWN BUT NOT OUT

VICTORIES and losses are a part of life, though victories are sweet and fulfilling and losses bitter and painful. In competitions such as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations, it is always victory for one and a loss for another for teams who make it to the top.
Undoubtedly, the failure of the Black Stars to play as one of the finalists and, as was expected by all, to win the cup for Ghana, has been a great disappointment to all.
No wonder, Accra went dead silent after the match yesterday and reports from other parts of the country speak of a people so hurt, a people who have had to shelve forever, the expected grandiose victory celebration because Ghana has not lived the theme for the celebration — Host and win.
As was pointed out earlier, in competitions, some lose, while others win, and in this particular case Ghana is the loser. But this defeat must not break the nation’s heart.
Why? Because the Black Stars fought gallantly and had fought really hard from the start. Even though it had not been smooth sailing, ultimately, at the end of each of their matches, the Black Stars had given Ghana the last laugh.
Yesterday, our boys really played a good game but luck was not on our side. But all is not lost. We should not be downhearted but continue to support the Stars because we have the chance to fight for the third position. We are down but not out.
We should learn to accept defeat and as we do so, we should also learn lessons from it so that come 2010 in Angola, we can make amends and lift the cup.
The odds weighed heavily against us — our Captain, Stephen Appiah, could not play in the tournament due to injury and our Rock of Gibraltar couldn’t play in yesterday’s match as a result of a dubious red card he received during the quarter-final match against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
In spite of all these difficulties, our boys managed to get to the semi-final.
The DAILY GRAPHIC would want to urge all Ghanaians to continue to support the Black Stars as we play for the bronze, continue to fly the national flag and don the national colours.
The Black Stars have done well and even though our good was not enough, we believe that we will get the bronze.
In victory, we celebrate; in defeat we should not become so despondent as to soak ourselves in alcohol. That comes with its bad effects.
The DAILY GRAPHIC expects all of us — from the mightiest to the lowest — to cheer up and hope for the best in future, for that is the spirit of the game.