LESSONS FROM SATELLITES VICTORY (OCT 20, 2009)

THE victory of the Satellites teaches us one great lesson — that with unity of purpose every obstacle can be surmounted.
That is why it is said that no success is achieved without struggle. And again, the Satellites demonstrated to the whole world that hard work crowns success and sacrifices.
The President spoke about what could be achieved through teamwork when he said in Koforidua last Friday that, "The feat chalked up by the Black Satellites is also an indication of what a united people driven by a common destiny can achieve in the face of adversity and seeming impossibility."
The players demonstrated the can-do spirit throughout 120 minutes of play and during the dramatic penalty shoot-out when they pressed on with determination to die for Mother Ghana.
What was clear during the 21-day tournament in Egypt was that all Ghanaians, irrespective of their political affiliations, prayed and gave their total support to the national Under-20 team every step of the way to annex the ultimate prize.
It, therefore, came as no surprise when teeming football fans, enthusiastic young men, women, children, as well as the elderly, poured onto the streets to celebrate the historic and sweet victory.
Everything we did was about patriotism and if we are able to extend such unity of purpose and demonstrate exceptional love for our dear nation and ourselves, there is no difficulty that we cannot overcome.
Unfortunately, sometimes we allow extreme politics and trivialities to divide our front for very parochial interests.
In football circles and other disciplines, players are able to achieve success when they demonstrate teamwork, unity and, above all, love for one another, knowing very well that the end result of their engagements depends on their collective effort and responsibility.
The word 'team' means a lot and if that is appreciated, there is no way a people determined to achieve greatness cannot do so. Simply put, 'team' means 'together everybody achieves more' and, therefore, if we bind together, our individual achievements will be as spectacular as the Satellites’ victory over Brazil last Friday.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that the time has come for the people to unite for nation building, for in unity lies strength.
Another lesson is that in the face of daunting challenges, we should not despair, since the greatest harm that we can do to ourselves is to lose confidence in our capacity to overcome.
The DAILY GRAPHIC commends the Egyptian President, Mr Hosni Mubarak for mobilising the support of his countrymen and women behind the Satellites’ during their match against Brazil. This was a rare show of African brotherhood and friendship and we doff our hats for him.
The Satellites have shown that "Yes, We Can".
We think the nation, at the moment, needs a united front to transform the economy and improve the quality of life of the people.