IT was Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, who once said that “any nation that does not honour its heroes will not long endure”, while his compatriot, John F. Kennedy, later added that “a nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honours, the men it remembers".
The two great men are perfectly right, for every country has men and women whose services and extraordinary achievements for their country cannot go unnoticed.
Yesterday, our dear nation had the opportunity to pay glowing tribute to one such group of people — the 23-man senior national soccer team, the Black Stars, their technical handlers, as well as members of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) who made all of us proud in the ongoing 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament.
Not only did President Mills announce a huge financial reward of $20,000 each for the players and $10,000 each for the technical men and the FA members; he also disclosed that the State would soon confer on them appropriate national honours in acknowledgement of their superlative performance in the tournament.
The fact is that the remarkable achievement of the Black Stars in South Africa did not only win the hearts of Ghanaians but also those of the entire African continent and they richly deserve every bit of what is being accorded them.
Indeed, the DAILY GRAPHIC is not only happy that the Black Stars equalled the record of Cameroun and Senegal by reaching the quarter-final stage of the tournament but, more important, we proved to the entire world that African soccer has come of age by holding our own against highly rated opponents and that but for the HAND OF THE DEVIL in our match against two-time world champions, Uruguay, we could still be in the reckoning.
Certainly, there is no need crying over spilt milk. There is also no need for the blame game. What is important now is to gather the pieces, thank the Good Lord for the blessings bestowed on us and move on as a people and a nation.
It is said that football has now become a tool for social integration and international diplomacy because it brings people from different social and financial backgrounds to stand together. And nowhere was this so evident as in South Africa where other sister African countries threw their weight behind the Black Stars when it became obvious that they were the lone hope for glory for the continent.
It is also refreshing that back home, the achievement of the Black Stars engineered unity in the country and we are happy that the President has admonished Ghanaians “not to allow our differences to undermine the quest for a better Ghana”.
But while we rejoice over our feat, the DAILY GRAPHIC wishes to drive home the stark truth that all is not well with Ghana soccer domestically. Our local league, which is expected to be the foundation for our future, is nothing to write home about, while colts soccer and soccer in our schools are virtually non-existent.
It is, therefore, important that steps are taken, as a matter of urgency, to invest adequately in the game by building appropriate structures which will ensure growth and development.
Again, while we celebrate the Black Stars, let us remember that we have heroes in all walks of life — men and women with unique achievements in medicine, music, as well as unsung heroes in our classrooms, at the marketplaces and on the boulevard of life.
In due time, let’s honour such people too, for it is said that those who are drinking from the well must not forget those who dug it.
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