Give it to the Kurt Okraku regime. Hand them the due praise for it is under their care that two Ghanaian clubs have for the first time in 17 years surpassed the elimination round of the CAF Champions League and the Confederation Cup simultaneously.
I cannot hold back what is deservedly theirs — laudation. They must not be lauded simply because they would have been lambasted had Medeama and Dreams FC lost in their bid to reach the league stage of their respective CAF club competitions.
The commendation is in recognition of their support even if small. Like or loathe it, the GFA’s supervision aided them. Their direct financial assistance of US$30,000 each to the two clubs may not have been enough. That, nonetheless, cushioned Medeama and Dreams spurring them to their new height.
In a decade or more, our clubs have underperformed in CAF club competitions for varying reasons – not least the lack of strong financial muscle to wrestle with well-resourced teams whose dominance is significantly influenced by their firm capital.
Medeama and Dreams have lifted Ghana football's image by this achievement. They deserve a pat in the back for what is a handsome accomplishment. Despite their palpable weak finances, they persevered and have recorded what most local clubs, particularly those in the Ghana Premier League relish.
Medeama and Dreams are not our biggest clubs by any account yet with pragmatic management, their report says that given the chance and resources, they are capable of anything. In truth, Ghana football must not be celebrating this as any big triumph because the real honour is in winning the competition, not league stage qualification.
But given the poor outings, especially by Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak in Africa lately, Medeama and Dreams’s show is viewed in glorious lights. It is nearly five years since Aduana Stars and Asante Kotoko went to the league stage of an African club competition. They both missed the quarterfinals.
I hope, however, that Medeama and Dreams will do more than a group stage qualification in this CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup, respectively. Players, coaches, and administrators of both teams have proven their mettle. I congratulate them. May they excel in the group stage to hoist Ghana’s flag higher.