World Cup 2014: Here comes the black man

By Michael J.K. Bokor, Ph.D.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Folks, the Italy-Uruguay and England-Costa Rica matches have just ended with Italy and England joining the reigning champion (Spain) to exit the tournament so early. Portugal is also billed to exit (even though it is yet to play the final match with Ghana in the qualifying stage). Interesting; not so?
But a more intriguing aspect that I have noticed and keenly enjoyed appraising is the huge presence of the BLACK MAN in almost all the teams that are participating in this competition. Is it the Netherlands team? The England one? The Italian one? The Portugal one? The Honduras one? Or the Colombian one? The Belgium one? Or the Costa Rica and Honduras team?
Only Uruguay hasn't featured a single BLACK MAN. Its success so far has been orchestrated by Luis Suarez; but he has carved a very bad niche for himself as a "cannibal" (biting players standing in his way for which he is on record as having been suspended twice for such an act. He did it again in this match with Italy but escaped the referee's sanction. A disgraceful act just as he did when he handled the goal-bound kick from the Ghana Black Stars at the 2010 tournament to deny Ghana the enviable record of reaching the semi-final stage!!).
Only the records can prove me wrong; but I must admit upfront that no other World Cup tournament has featured as many BLACK players across-the-board as does this 2014 one. Of course, only those legitimized as nationals can feature in matches at this level for their countries. It is not like playing for football clubs, where anybody can be featured. The truth that the BLACK MAN is featuring all over and making the world cup "multi-coloured" cannot be denied. It really makes the tournament look good, which amazes me.
Even though I don't intend to dig into the background of these players of African descent or to question the politics behind their nationality or decision to play for their respective countries, I want to observe here that seeing a typically BLACK MAN playing for a country like Portugal or Belgium (maybe, Switzerland too), really gripped me.
So also was it for me to see the Boateng brothers (Kevin Prince Boateng opting to be a Ghanaian and play for Ghana while his brother chose to be a German, playing for the German national team). Interesting; really wonderful.
Many others stood out as prime movers in their respective teams and earn my respect. But they also raise interesting questions to ponder (over) beyond the confines of the World Cup.
By focusing on the BLACK presence in all these teams, I am not setting out to be petty or racist; but I want to say that the contributions of these players of African descent (at least, if skin pigmentation and appearances are anything to go by in this tournament) are commendable. Particularly interesting is the case of those who scored the goals that pushed their teams (countries) forward into the group of 16.
Congratulations to them all. Indeed, the BLACK MAN has a lot to offer the entire world. Wherever the BLACK MAN goes, he does what the world needs. Tell me anything to the contrary, and I will revise my notes.
The only problem is that back at home, the BLACK MAN can't use his talents to solve existential problems and improve living conditions. He is more wont to use such talents to serve other systems than his own in Africa. He is more than poised to "kill" himself for the benefit of other systems. Why so?
What is it that exacts that much commitment to sacrifice the self for the good of those systems? What is it back home on the African continent (especially the countries inhabited by the BLACK MAN) that makes it difficult for such sacrifices to be made for the good of the country and its people? Intriguing; fascinating; inexplicable; and outrageous!!
To throw more light on why it is difficult for the Black Man to "kill" himself for his country's good, we turn to a seemingly simple example:
We hear our Black Stars players are revolting because their appearance allowance of 75,000 dollars each hasn’t been paid; and that President Mahama has had to intervene, speaking to them by phone, courtesy the GFA Chairman. Even as the situation stands, the GFA Chairman himself is at the centre of a controversy regarding match-fixing, which has been given wide publicity. You see, folks, there is a lot to worry about. No other team has come to notice as such. So, what exactly is wrong with us?
I shall return…
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