Growing up as a young Ghanaian boy, I never had much yearning for football tournaments as did most of my peers I grew up with. The story was however different when it came to the biennial African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament- I had a high nationalistic affinity and support for the National Team whenever it played. It was the Angola 2010 edition of AFCON that made me love watching the AFCON tournament, because Ghana crossed all the hurdles and marched on to the finals where they locked horns with the Pharaohs of Egypt. Though I was still a very young boy then, looking at the zeal with which people followed the tournament and every match played by the Black Stars of Ghana, and the euphoria that accompanied every victory, I couldn’t help but join the masses to watch the matches. On that fateful Sunday when the final was to be played between the Black Stars of Ghana and the Pharaohs of Egypt, the euphoria in all parts of the country was to behold and not to be told. All kinds of prayersnwere said for the national team to win the coveted trophy for the fifth time, having previously won the 1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982 AFCON trophies. After over 120 minutes of play, plus added-on time, the Black Stars of Ghana conceded a late goal to the Pharaohs of Egypt, and lost the trophy narrowly. That was the fourth time the Black Stars of Ghana became runners-up in the AFCON tournament after 1968, 1970, and 1992. Later in 2015 in Equatorial Guinea, Ghana lost the trophy to the Elephants of the Ivory Coast once again following a penalty shootout. All these years were dark years in the history of the AFCON tournament for Ghana because the AFCON trophy eluded us when we were so close. What this means is that the 21st Century Ghanaian like myself and some young adults of the late 19th Century are yet to witness the Black Stars of Ghana win an AFCON trophy and championship. I do not know how it feels like winning an AFCON trophy, the euphoria and the bragging rights of an AFCON champion. Time and time again the Black Stars of Ghana have featured in the AFCON tournament and ended up as runners-up, semi-finalist, and quarter-finalist until the recent 2021 tournament in Cameroon where Ghana exited at the group stage. Our generation also needs an AFCON trophy to talk and write about, and the clarion call is loudly sounded from the rooftop now. The over 40 years of trophy draught for the Black Stars have made both the young and old back down on the Black Stars. Maybe it is in the upcoming AFCON tournament in the Ivory Coast that the Black Stars of Ghana could break the over 40 years trophy drought or must we rather eye the 2025 and 2027 edition? What can we do better and faster going forward to win an AFCON trophy for the first time in a long time, and in a more likely event the World Cup?
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