Reports reaching DAILY GUIDE SPORTS indicate that the Garden City, Kumasi, erupted in celebrations on Wednesday night when the Stallions of Burkina Faso beat the Black Stars of Ghana in the semifinal of the ongoing AFCON 2013 in South Africa.
Many Ghanaians read political meanings into the development, as Kumasi and the Ashanti Region in general is the stronghold of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Ghana is extremely polarized, and the kind of support the national team enjoys from each region or area at any particular time depends on which party is in power and the political affiliation of the area or region.
It was reported that fans who were taken to South Africa to support the Black Stars were screened, to confirm their affiliation to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). Some fans were compelled to show party ID cards in order to get a ticket to South Africa.
Indeed, the NDC slogan 'edey bee k3k3' was synonymous with support for the Black Stars at the AFCON 2013.
When Ghana lost to Burkina Faso last Wednesday therefore, there were spontaneous jubilations in various suburbs of Kumasi, with the blowing of vuvuzelas and tooting of car horns characterizing the night. It was as though the Black Stars had won the match.
Most residents said they were happy that the Black Stars were out of contention for the trophy, because support for the Black Stars seemed to have been politicized.
'The demeanour and body language of government officials showed that victory for the Black Stars would have been victory for the NDC,' Sam Boakye, a businessman and resident of Kwadaso Edwenase said.
'That was not what happened during the CAN 2008 in Ghana, when NPP was in power. At the time, support for the Black Stars was a national affair. Supporters and officials of the NDC, CPP, PNC and other political parties were made to feel they had a stake in the team's victory; and we all saw how the atmosphere was in Ghana,' he added.
From Stella Boatemaa Aninakwa, Kumasi
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