GO FOR GLORY, STARS (FEB 22)

TOMORROW marks yet another significant milestone in African football with the big kick-off of the maiden African Nations Championship (CHAN), the newest pan-African competition reserved exclusively for home-based players.
The inaugural tournament in Cote d'Ivoire is unlikely to generate as much buzz as the more popular Africa Cup of Nations, which features the cream of the continent's biggest names, such as Emmanuel Adebayor, Michael Essien, Mohammed Aboutrieka, Didier Drogba, among others.
The African football governing body, CAF, believes that the tournament provides fertile grounds to strengthen football on the continent and unearth the next generation of superstars who have often been overshadowed by their more celebrated foreign-based colleagues.
However, for Ghanaians in particular CHAN offers a fine opportunity for the Black Stars to reclaim their lost glory in African football by winning the maiden tournament and building on their performance when the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers commences next month.
In the absence of some of the continent's biggest powerhouses such as Egypt, Cameroun and Nigeria, the Black Stars, as well as the host nation, stand out as the pre-tournament favourite on the back of the team's pedigree as four times African champions and their impressive showing in recent years, particularly at the 2008 Nations Cup.
When the Black Stars kick-off their campaign against Zimbabwe tomorrow in the Ivorian city of Bouake, Ghanaians will expect the team to play with passion and pride and draw inspiration from the Black Satellites who flew high the nation's flag by winning the African Youth Championship in Rwanda.
While the tournament may not command the same prominence as the popular Africa Cup of Nations, it nevertheless presents an opportunity for good assessment for Ghana’s coach, Milovan Rajevac, and also an opportunity to test the combat readiness of the local players ahead of the all-important World Cup qualifiers.
The enthusiasm and form shown by the players during the preparations provide solid ground to raise the faith and confidence of Ghanaians in the team's chances. The players must, nonetheless, eschew all forms of complacency because it is dangerous to underrate any country at continental football tournaments, having suffered embarrassing defeats to so-called minnows, including Zimbabwe, most recently at the 2006 Nations Cup in Egypt.
It is important that Ghana gets off to a flying start tomorrow in order to ease the pressure on the players and lift their spirits for the challenges ahead.