Supporters Unions Part Of Ghana's Soccer Tradition

Supporters Unions ( ALFOSU and GHANSU)

It is gradually becoming a tradition in Ghana for supporters to follow the national teams anywhere they go in the world to cheer them up.

In the past, the nation depended on Ghanaians residing in a country where a national team was playing for support; and the result was that the supporters mostly concentrated on why they were in the stadium, which was to watch their nation play, thereby ignoring the cheering aspect.

In some instances, they were spotted by supporters of the home team, and so in cases where the home teams lost, the residents who were seen cheering and singing for Ghana were attacked and beaten.

These actions generated the desire and passion for national support in some sport-loving Ghanaians, spearheaded by Abraham Boakye, popularly known as 'One Man Supporter' in the late 90s. Though he sang, jumped and waved the flag of Ghana up in the air to excite the players, his single effort was not enough, hence the need for a group whose voice would be loud enough to be heard by the national players.

Since then groups started springing up to cheer up the national team during home matches. Then it was extended to cover away matches; all with financial contributions from the supporters themselves and some benevolent individuals.

Now the concept of supporters unions has been accepted as a part of the football tradition in Ghana and most African countries.

They have become a formidable body and an advertising avenue for big companies like GLOBACOM, operators of the Glo telecommunication network, which is sponsoring the Ghana National Supporters Union (GHANSU): Hence the GLOBACOM logo is boldly embossed on the shirts, musical instruments, flags and the bus which carries the supporters anywhere a Ghanaian national team is playing.

The Coordinator of GHANSU, Yaw Brenya, in an interview with DAILY GUIDE SPORTS in Ouagadougou, after the Black Stars Sudan CHAN 2011 qualifier against the Stallions of Burkina Faso, said cheering at this level without sponsorship is really difficult, adding that even with the sponsorship, there would be the need for individual patriotism to the nation and passion for the game.

Also at Ouagadougou were 26 members of the All For One Supporters Union (ALFOSU), led by one of Mamprobi's finest 'jama' singers and cheer leaders, Abraham Nkansa alias Apiirigu Chakapaline.

Though without sponsorship, ALFOSU's collaboration with GHANSU constituted a big supporters group for Ghana, which eventually buried the Burkinabe cheer group.

The leader of the ALFOSU, Abraham Nkansa, has therefore appealed for sponsorship to enable his group continue cheering all national teams.   

If indeed it is going to be part of the football tradition in Ghana, then some efforts must be made to see how to sponsor these groups, while the onus equally rests on the various groups to also initiate innovative ways to generate revenue to sustain their activities.

From Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Ouagadougou