World Cup Soccer 2010: Cash bonus for Ghana’s football team
Ghana was one of the best African teams on display at South Africa 2010. The Black Stars displayed an amazing performance by powering through to the quarter-finals of the tournament, narrowly losing to Uruguay via a penalty shoot-out.
Despite the heartbreak, the team was given a resounding welcome at home upon their arrival. On the other hand, it was not the Ghanaians alone that enjoyed their performance. Spectators from across the globe cherished a fearless display of football from the Black Stars which traditionally followed the true African flair during football matches.
As an incentive for their performance in South Africa, the national soccer team won a staggering $20,000 cash bonus per player on Tuesday.
The awards were hailed as a moral victory by former U.N. Chief and countryman Kofi Annan after their fearless performance in the World Cup semi-final defeat against Uruguay. Kofi Annan is a nationalist as he served as the Secretary General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. He also won the esteemed Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, who was described as a “great ambassadors for the game -- and for Africa”.
The Africans did not have fate on their side during the quarter-finals as they went down in the penalty shoot-out. Although the Black Stars were given a last minute opportunity of recording a victory against the South Americans, but a goal bound shot was stopped at the goal-mouth with the hand.
Striker Asamoah Gyan who was one of the stars for the team though out the tournament missed out on the resulting spot-kick and Uruguay went on to win the penalty shoot-out. However, the spirited South Americans lost out in the semi-finals to two time finalists Netherlands who are now preparing for a final showdown for the third time in their football history.
The response to the Ghanaians has been extremely impressive given the poor performances of many of the fancied teams like France, Italy, and other major African contenders Cameron, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and hosts South Africa. All these teams failed to make it to the next round, with the ‘Bafana Bafana’ becoming the first host nation to crash out in the first round in the last 80 years.
The celebrations in Ghana have not subsided as yet as thousands more came out on to the streets of Accra. The event was arranged for the adoring fans who wanted to catch a glimpse of the Black Stars procession through the town on the way to meeting with the Ghanaian President.
The players were cheered all the way as they arrived at the presidency to meet John Atta Mills who acknowledged the outstanding performances of the players. He said that although the team didn't bring the cup home, they have “won the hearts and minds of fair-minded people in Africa and the rest of the world”.
The bonuses are staggering if compared to the income of the common man. “You have shown that collectively you can build a better team so can we collectively build a better Ghana. I'm happy that football brought all of us together”, Atta Mills said. “Just like we did to support the Black Stars, lets us support all efforts which are being made to make Ghana a better place for us all”, Atta Mills added. Local football critics hope that the success of the team in the world cup spurs the team to greater things and generate more interest in the country.
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