They were the heartbeat of many Ghanaians, from people with the keenest interest in the game of football, to the bedridden old lady who had no idea what an offside meant.
From the little boy on the street, donning a worn out replica jersey of Dede Ayew, to the market woman and office worker who would drape their shops, offices, cars and homes in national colours in support of the team.
The senior national football team, the Black Stars, enjoyed the support, love and adoration of Ghanaians, who believed in their willingness to sacrifice their energies to bring on our faces.
Tickets to matches were sold out in minutes, even training sessions attracted spectators some local clubs could not dream of in an entire season.
The height of reverence was during the 2010 FiFA world cup in South Africa when Ghana made it to the quarter finals for the first time. But for the wickedness of Uruguay’s Luis Suarez and Asamoah Gyan’s epic penalty miss, we would have been the first African side to make it the semi-finals in the history of the World cup tournament. Â
But then, the bubble burst, the love crumpled and adoration turned to scorn and fury after the next world cup, Brazil 2014.
Ghana was rendered a laughing stock of the world, after we flew 3million dollars to Rio de Janeiro to pay player bonuses. They had threatened not to play the next match if outstanding bonuses were not paid.
In blatant disregard for the adoration by the nation, some players openly said they were not playing for charity. It emerged at the time that Ghanaian players received the highest bonuses at the tournament and were paid a hefty appearance fee.
The remarks coupled with their abysmal performance at the tournament resulted in deep seated resentment and anger towards the team, the love was lost and support has been dwindling so fast since.
The senior national team has struggled to win back the support with little success. Perhaps they came close to regaining a bit when they made it against all odds, to the finals of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Equatorial Guinea. Unfortunately a loss to Ivory Coast on penalties ensured the resentment persisted, even until now.
Another attempt at regaining the love of Ghanaians at the 2017 AFCON in Gabon, was unsuccessful. Tournament winners Cameroun knocked us out in the semi-finals.
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The struggle for support by the Black Stars cast my mind back to the Baba Yara sports Stadium prior to the 2006 world cup, when Ghana defeated South Africa 3-0 in a qualifiers and reaffirmed my believe that the team had the biggest fan base in the world.
A charged atmosphere and an intimidating environment was a sign of great patriotism by Ghanaians, who never really cared about how much the players were earning as far as they were bringing victory and glory.
Again in 2014, the Black Stars enjoyed massive support in Kumasi and most of the players confessed it was the atmosphere in the stadium that spurred them on to beat the Pharaohs of Egypt 6-1, in the most memorable World Cup qualifier the Country has ever played.
In recent times games of the Black Stars hardly attract a full stadium and training sessions are deserted.
No football team can survive without support from it fans and for the reappointed Coach Kwesi Appiah, his task would not only be to qualify the Black Stars to the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, but to win the hearts of a crowd that once loved him and his charges to the core.
The team lies 3rd in the World Cup qualifiers behind Egypt and Uganda and our chances are really slim. More than ever, the Stars would need the support of soccer fans to once again boost their morale in the next qualifier against the Egyptians.
Ghana on Sunday plays an AFCON 2019 qualifier against Ethiopia, a match most regard as a test of our preparedness to face the Pharaohs.
With a Ghanaian population no more impressed by wins after a 35 year trophy draught, the big question is “Will victory against Ethiopia, win back the fans?".
