“We Celebrate Mediocrity” – Jerry Ahmed Shaib Slams Black Stars Performance Despite 1-0 Win, Warns Against Politicizing Football

Weija Gbawe MP and Second Deputy Minority Whip Hon. Jerry Ahmed Shaib has criticized the Black Stars’ performance in their 1-0 World Cup win over Panama, saying the team “played poorly” and warning Ghanaians to stop “celebrating mediocrity.”

Commenting on parliamentary statements about Monday’s match, Hon. Shaib said football should unite the country but is being dragged into politics.

He said, Football has become the rallying point for Ghanaians. It brings us together irrespective of which party you belong to but there are people who do not want to depart from that. They still want to use football for politics.”

*“We Did Not Play Well”*

Despite the result in Toronto, the MP was blunt about the display. “Yes, yesterday the Black Stars scored… and they scored at the ninety-fourth minute. Mr Speaker, you and I know that the goal that was scored yesterday was not a reflection of the efforts of the team. We played poorly and our toughest games are ahead of us.”

He said “Sixty-eight percent of ball possession was with the Panama team. Thirty-two percent was credited to the Ghana team. The first half was practically played in our eighteen.”

*Goalkeeper Atizigi Injury, Local Players Promise*

Hon. Shaib noted goalkeeper Atizigi was injured and substituted. “To the extent our goalkeeper Atizigi got injured and had to be taken out. He disclosed that the President promised that ninety-nine point nine percent of the team was going to be made of local Black Stars.”

*Quoting Mahama: “Nothing Is Working”*

The Second Deputy Minority Whip quoted President John Dramani Mahama: “Nothing is working in this country. Everything has gone haywire and it has even affected the Black Stars. The Black Stars have always been the Black Stars… Today look at the Black Stars, so sad.”

*“Stop the Celebration of Mediocrity”*

“Mr Speaker, we celebrate mediocrity in this country. We need to stop the celebration of mediocrity. When people are not playing well we must be bold enough to tell them they are not playing well.”

He added: “Even when you have leadership that is failing… that can be a basis for a whole country to fail because Black Star is not playing well.”

*Call to Depoliticize Football*

“We should learn to depart from politics when it has to do with football,” he said. “It is an observation, it is a warning, it is an advice to all of us that let us get people to rally behind the Black Stars because it is our team. It is not for a particular political party.”

“So when the Black Stars are doing well we should all be excited, When they are not doing well we should be praying as to how to get the right technical men and women to support them to do better.”

*Two Major Matches Ahead*

“If you play and at the ninety-fourth minute you scored a goal and you played badly, you should know that there are two major matches ahead of us.” Group L opponents include England and Croatia.