Football is the most favourite sport in the world and the nation’s most popular sport and Ghanaians know quality football when they see one.
Many Ghanaians have developed a strong taste for foreign products and regard products from other countries as having a higher quality and value than locally produced ones. This preference for foreign products seems to extend beyond simple consumer goods and is reflected in Ghanaians’ taste for foreign football brands.
In Ghana, as in many other countries, support for the local leagues has been eclipsed by an intense dedication to the top European leagues. Ghana’s football fans have been drawn to foreign clubs, especially the English league.
While local league teams play in almost deserted stadia, audiences crowd around televisions to follow the latest matches of the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga, or UEFA Champions League.
I asked some fans why this is so and they mentioned the quality of players, the attractiveness of European football, and Commentary as some of the reasons they are more drawn to European football.
Europeans capturing fans interest
It's not just for buying sake that clubs go in to do purchases but it is a well-thought plan. It wasn't accidental that Manchester United signed Park Ji Sung who went on to become of the best Asian signings of all-time.
There are things that go on beyond the 90 minutes and Park Ji Sung's signing is one of those.
The club wanted to capture the Asian market and what other way than to sign one of their own that will let the supporters fellow the club.
His signing saw the Asians troop to the Theatre of Dreams on matchday to watch him play whilst others don the club jersey while watching him on screen, United really capture the Asian market with his signing and the player also made it easier with his performance on the pitch.
Relating it to the Ghanaian context, when we look at the strategic signings of Drogba, Essien, Salomon Kalou among others it made Chelsea a powerful brand in Africa, especially Ghana.
Truth be told, Chelsea have now captured the African market and their recent triumph in the UEFA Champions League showed.
Most Ghanaians love Chelsea because Michael Essien used to play there some years ago despite the former Black Stars international having left, fans of Chelsea are still glued to the London club.
Another Example is Arsenal who last summer signed Thomas Partey with much fanfare. These types of signings help clubs win a lot of supporters from the country the players are from.
It would seem that even when the African players have moved on, the resonance they create still aids the brand-building efforts of the European teams.
However, Ghanaian clubs don't have the financial means to sign quality players from these European clubs that would develop the game and get the attention of the Europeans.
Branding/packing
A brand is anything that identifies a team and seeks to differentiate it from its competitors. It includes functional elements like colour, name, and logo. It also has emotional elements – for football brands, these include brand culture and player behaviour on and off the pitch.
Football brands are important to marketers because supporters will spend more on brands they prefer. The sports industry seems to have embraced the idea of managing football teams as brands.
Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram Samuel Nartey George revealed he is staunch Hearts of Oak fan but not willing to support the club financially unlike how he supports Arsenal.
He says he pays close to $1000 dues to support the progress of the English club. He cites accountability as the reason for his decision to ignore Hearts of Oak and put his money into Arsenal.
According to him, at the end of the year, he gets a “letter from the club [Arsenal] stating what the funds we contributed as paid-up members of the club have been used for. I see what the club is using the money for, if I put that money into Hearts of Oak is anybody ready to accounts for me?â€
Just as the saying goes, a food, may not be nice be its packaging alone may attract you. On the back of what the Ningo Prampram MP said, Ghanaian clubs need to be serious with their supporters for them to stick with the team and contribute their quota.
Gone are the days when football is being loved by the people themselves, now you have to force it down their throat if that is the right word to use.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in his interview on the European Super League said kids now prefer to play video games than watch football now.
So even there the game needs packaging how much more here? Clubs overseas have branded themselves so well that Ghanaians don't think twice about paying dues as well as going in for their paraphernalia which in turn brings in revenue to the clubs.
However, it is not the case here.
Data, Information of players
It's quite funny that clubs don't see how relevant this is in today's world. When with a click of a button you can see the statistics of players/teams and others you are looking for in Europe but it is not so here.
The European have invested in their game and sees it as important for the audience to have information easily.
It is amazing in this day and age that one has to struggle to know the names of the players when all clubs could do is just ink their players' names on the back of their kits.
How do you expect fans to follow your team when they don't know the names of your players yet they know who Sergio Ramos is, Gareth Bale, Jorginho, Edison Cavani among others.
We take things for granted in this country. Clubs don't make a conscious effort to promote their players for fans to know.
How is it possible that whole lot of Ghana Premier League clubs don't have websites to feed their fans while information whilst this is not the case with the European game?
Digitization is very important in today's world.
Commentary
Jon Champion, Jim Beglin, Martin Tyler, Peter Dury
This is subtle but it has played a major part in helping the European get the attention of African lovers of the game including Ghanaians.
Quality commentary is loved by football fanatics and these aforementioned names have been delivering it for years if not delivered it.
The first 3 names over the years got the attention of Ghanaians through video games. When playing the FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) video games you hear their voices throughout the game with top-notch quality.
That has also led to people following the European games to listen to their role models.
One man who is now shaking the table is Peter Dury who Ghanaian fans can't get enough of these days. Drury is well-known for his enthralling commentaries.
Dury is a man who just plays with words when behind the mind. At the end of the games, you will see his words trending.
One of such is when Kostas Manolas headed home from a corner in the 82nd minute to score the all-important goal for Roma against Barcelona in a stunning Champions League quarter-final comeback at the Stadio Olimpico in April 2018, it spawned a wonderful monologue from Peter Drury.
"Roma have risen from their ruins! Manolas, the Greek God in Rome! The unthinkable unfolds before our eyes!
"This was not meant to happen. This could not happen. This IS happening. It's a Greek from Mount Olympus who has come to the seven hills of Rome and pulled off a miracle!"
The problem entails a lot which means it would take time and a systematic process Ghanaians to choose their football over the European's own.
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