Winners

1. Western Media, Neo Colonialists and Neo-Cons

Nothing could have given the media types of BBC, CNN etc a sweet story line than a bunch Africans -- Ghanaians specifically keeping vigil over crates-full of dollars in a chartered plane to be delivered to their countrymen on the other side of the world. They did not have to toil through the mess appropriately dubbed the third world to find evidence that goes to support the long held perception that Africans are incapable of managing anything, not even when they play. All they had to do was regurgitate what the Africans themselves put out -- that the government of Ghana has placed $3million hard cash on a chartered plane to be delivered to its citizens representing it as footballers in a global competition in Brazil. Who does that in this age of global marketing and global banking if not primitive, incompetent, clueless Africans who after many years of European colonization and civilizing sacrifices. still insist on cleaning themselves with dry leafs when done moving their bowels. The neo-colonialist and neo-cons must be licking their chaps and posting one additional piece to the many they already have that says "I told you , we should have never left". They are awaiting our invitation to come back and re-colonize us.
2. The Brazilian Tax Collector
He probably was dancing samba on the beaches of Copa Cabana when the Ghanaians came calling with a cool $510,00.00 being the 17% tax on the $3 million hard cash brought into the country. What is sweeter than laying in bed and having honey drip into your mouth? Wont you lick? It is a case of laying still and having the gods of bounty provide for you.
In this case, there are no gods, just a decided simpleton from Africa - the government of Ghana. Brazil came out a big winner out of this sheer act of incompetence and stupidity. All Brazil needed to do was provide police escort. Did they send a thank you note? Why should they? I wouldn't. After all, they were minding their own business when Ghana calling with the money and perhaps, flowers to boot.



Losers
1. President John Mahama
• Did the good President know that a misery number of young men representing his well-regarded footballing nation participating in a prestigious global event were asking to paid thousands of dollars physical cash in another country before they render their services?
• Could he anticipate the dangers and ridicule that would come with exporting that much hard cash into any country?
• Did he factor in the free money that his country was dishing out to Brazil?
Either way, Mr. Mahama looses terribly. If he knew and went along, he is a loser who should be impeached as an embezzler of public funds.
If he didn't know he still cuts out as a poor, hapless, clueless, head of state. A head of state who would permit his nation to be held to ransom and universal ridicule by the action of a mere twenty six or so ball jugglers, average age 25 years, is not worth the honor of that high office. What would he do if Boko Haram come calling?
Of course, we understand that he cannot do all by himself and be everywhere at all times. But you see, football is not just anything in his country. It is about the only activity that gives Ghanaians a modicum of national pride and therefore should be directly overseen by the President's office. Only a loser of a head of state would pay a glancing attention to its administration and allow corrupt minions to run it.
As if that is not enough evidence of incompetence and cluelessness, Mr. Mahama is reported to have offered a pathetic excuse in the words: “I don’t think you can place that many human beings together in a team, all of them stars in their own right, and not have some measure of ego display and some amount of discord. .... Our elimination at this stage is not for lack of talent or effort. The Black Stars have given their all.”
Yes you can place that many and more human beings together on a team, (super stars, not petty "cocoase" stars) without their egos getting in the way of great accomplishments. Ever heard of the super stars and divas who produced the "We are the World" song/video that captivated the whole world? Or the geniuses who worked on the Manhattan Project that gave us the atomic bomb? Or the multi millionaires who play on great sports teams (New York Cosmos, the Lakers, Manchester United, Brazil's Santos, US’s Basketball Dream Teams? Or the Allied Nations of World War II etc, etc? They were all loaded to the brim with super ego maniacs. Still they delivered.
Is it only in Ghana that Mr. Mahama cannot put a mere twenty-something somehow decently-paid ball jugglers (stars?) and fumbling officials on a team and not expect egos to come between them and success? “Some amount of discord”? The discord that destroyed the Black Stars and their handlers in Brazil is not “some”; it is huge and ridiculous. It epitomizes how losers operate.
2. Ghana
Ghana and Ghanaians lost money and a good chunk of their national pride. They gave away a cool half million dollars "saraka", money that could have gone to pay for petroleum imports, build a secondary school structure a boulevard in Obosomase, buy enough latex hand gloves for doctors and still have some left over to fix the decaying Ghana UN Mission building in New York. Now Ghana stands to garner the title of "Poster Money Laundering Nation" of the world.
As the secretary general of FIFA, Jerome Valcke told reporters in Rio "the sight of a cavalcade with police support ferrying the cash to the hotel where Ghana’s team was staying wasn’t a good image......". It would have been better to do it “in a normal way, which means a bank transfer,”. Thanks, Mr. Valcke. But that is not how money launderers operate. They prefer cash and carry!
3. GFA and Sports Ministry Officials.
You can bet that many, if not all of these sad specimens of public servants who went junketing with their wives, girlfriends and children undoubtedly see themselves as winners. They glaringly did bad but are not being held accountable for the financial loss, failures and ridicule the nation incurred. That is how the warped minds of corrupt and unpatriotic public servants work. They cause financial losses to the nation and do not blink one hoot. They waste the very funds that the nation needs to fix the country's crumpled social infrastructures which all, including them, own collectively. Which manner of man slashes his own tongue and makes a meal out of it? Not only is he a fool. He is also a sore loser!

G. Ofori Anor
New York
July 2014