''I think I will be taking a break. Not retiring, just not playing some time. I
have to take the right decision for myself.''

No sooner had Essien made the above statement than he came under a barrage of
scathing criticisms from Ghanaian journalists and fans alike. They had found his
decision to suspend his national team involvement heart-breaking,
incomprehensible and unacceptable. On air and online for several days, Essien
was criticized by scores of Ghanaian football fans home and abroad. They accused
him of ungratefulness, disloyalty, and insensitivity to the national cause.

In ‘wrong move Michael Essien, wrong move’, Michael Oti Adjei, a sports
journalist, wrote:
”The story of Essien at the highest level will never be complete without the
writings of Ghana all over it. It is an argument we drum up every day but one so
true. Essien like many of the country’s present day big names walked on the back
of Ghana to international fame. The country does not ask for blind loyalty in
return. Just loyalty and a recognition of the role it played by turning up and
playing for a country that adores you so much. He had done it remarkably all
these years. Bailing out now is therefore a poor decision. Poor timing.”
Reacting sharply to Oti Adjei’s article, a certain Yaw wrote:
‘’Why should Ghanaians worry their heads about Essien’s decision not to play for
the Black Stars? Ever since he started playing for the Black Stars has the team
won any laurels? Without him we reached the finals in Angola and quarterfinals
at the just ended World Cup fiesta in South Africa. We have young and talented
midfielders like Kwadwo Asamoah, Andre Dede, Kevin Boateng and Anthony Annan who
on any day can hold the flag of Ghana high. His decision is most unfortunate and
sickening. He should come out to apologise or else be forever axed from the
team.”
Big Bright also wrote: ‘This is no shocking news! When it matters MOST he
doesn’t show up …… he should getaway ….. stay with your Chelsea. Is he the only
player who got injured? Look at Drogba & Mikel, they were all injured yet [they
are] dying for their nation.’

The foregoing comments exemplify the sort of dissatisfaction that characterized
the news of Essien’s semi-retirement from the Black Stars. Many pundits, in
condemning Essien, heaped praises on his Chelsea tamate, Didier Drogba, for his
selfless commitment to the cause of the Ivorian national team.However, just last
week, Drogba shocked many football followers with his decision to suspend his
involvement with the Ivorian national team. (See goal.com, 30th Aug. 2010).
According to Cote d’Ivoire’s new coach, François Zahoui, Didier Drogba has
withdrawn himself from international football. Zahoui personally visited Drogba
to summon him for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda on
Saturday, but the Chelsea’s forward declined the call. It’s only proper that I
quote Zahoui’s exact words for the benefit of readers:
“I truly met Drogba in London. He told me he was so tired that he wanted to
withdraw from the national team for a while. Drogba is a world class player who
is indispensable for the Elephants, but I had to respect his decision. We will
let him rest to recover his mental and physical strength and pray he comes back
some day to the national team.”

So what informed the decision of Essien and Drogba, to suspend participation for
their respective national teams…?
”Oh, they must either be suffering from ‘moneycracy’ or out of their minds”, a
middle-aged man remarked even before I finished framing the question.
”Footballers of today, as soon as they get small money, they turn their back on
the country that made them’’, he lamented. Across the country, similar
sentiments have been expressed.
This writer has spent time trying to contextualize the decisions of Essien and
Drogba. Needless to say, their request to be excused form national team
participation is rational and justifiable, more so in the case of the former.
Many have perpetually questioned the commitment of Essien to the Black Stars. In
the opinion of this writer, there are hardly a few more committed to the
Black Stars than the Chelsea star. Two quick reasons here would suffice:

First, when fit, Essien has represented Ghana in every competitive tournament.
In spite of his international stature, he’s never excused himself from any Black
Stars competitive match. He plays with more passion and determination than many
other ‘Black Stars’. One only needs to watch his facial expression when he
scored the equalizer in Ghana’s 2-1 win against Nigeria at Ghana2008 to
understand this.
Second, Essien’s decision to represent Ghana at Angola 2010, despite not having
fully recovered from an injury sustained while on duty for Chelsea, is
incontrovertible indication that he’s 1oo% committed to the Black Stars.

Persistent injuries.
Essien’s Black Stars involvement hasn’t been all rosy. During a World Cup
qualifier against Libya in September 2008, Essien sustained a knee njury that
ruled him out of action for five months. Over that period, he missed over 30
competitive matches for Chelsea. Also, while on duty for Ghana at the 2010
Nations Cup in Angola, Essien who had just recovered from a long-term injury lay
off, twisted his knee in training and was sidelined for six months.
Essentially, injuries sustained in action for the Black Stars over a period of
two years have caused Essien to miss approximately one year of football. This
equals over 60 competitive games . This is especially hard on Chelsea, who pay
Essien a reported 120, 000 pounds a week. Having fully recovered from injury,
Essien realizes that focusing his attention and energy on Chelsea’s campaign
this season, is imperative if he is to tie down a place in the Chelsea first
eleven.
Despite the huge public outcry Essien’s ‘semi-retirement’ has created, the
Chelsea midfielder has been strongly backed by Black Stars coach, Milovan
Rajavac. In an interview with the BBC, Milovan said:
“As you know with Michael he has had two very serious injuries both with the
national team in the last two years. It affected him a lot. Whenever he was
available he gave off his best. Now He wants to concentrate on his club and we
all need to understand that and I am sure after sometime he will come back to
the national team and when we need him most he will be there to lead the team
the way he knows.’’

A new beginning.
Fundamentally, Essien knows that a third long-term injury sustained in action
for the Black Stars, could lead to the termination of his Chelsea contract.
This explains why he made the following statement: ”I have to take the right
decision for myself.”
Essien knows better than to show commitment to his country at the expense of
his club. One player who did this, ended up with indelible regrets. Not only was
Laryea Kingston booted out of his Scottish club, Hearts, he was also dropped,
eventually, from the Black Stars’ team to the World Cup in South-Africa.
Essien and Drogba have had their careers stalled by persistent injuries in the
last couple of years. At 28 and 32 respectively, they understand the need to
focus more on their club careers, in order to secure themselves a brighter
future. In deciding to play for Ghana ahead of Germany, AC Milan midfielder,
Kevin Prince-Boateng, told the press that he took the decision with his head
rather than his heart. Just like Boateng, Essien and Drogba used their heads and
not their hearts in deciding to stay away from their national teams for a while.
In conclusion, neither of Essien or Drogba is out of his mind; both simply
understand the logic of survival in contemporary football activism: club before
country!
Credit: Samuel K. Obour
Email: samuelkwason@aol.com