Football Fabulous

Kumasi's famous soccer team has a call sign its supporters use when passing on the street: the initiator yells "Fabu!" (short for Fabulous, the club's nickname), and he expects to hear "Kotoko!" in reply. Wearing the red uniform of Kumasi Ashanti Kotoko I executed this passing ritual every 50 paces or so this morning.

Today was gameday in Kumasi. It was the last day of the season in the Ghanaian premier league, and the first day that I have ever witnessed a live African soccer match. I picked a good one to attend, too, as the game pitted two clubs from Kumasi against each other: Ashanti Kotoko and King Faisal. Ashanti Kotoko is the club with the largest support base across the country and possibly across Africa, so I'm guilty as charged to the claims of jumping on the bandwagon. Even so, it's difficult not to like a team with the swagger of the Yankees, a history that involves its inception by an Ashanti tribal king, and a porcupine as a mascot.

I attended the match with my trusted guide Adjei (pictured with me in front of the stadium's gates), an arist and friend of our team's Ghanaian counterparts. Like in England, hooliganism puts a stain on the game of football in Ghana. Adjei helped me look out for violent fans and thieves, both of which we saw at the match.

Two Kotoko fans and 'tigo' (a cell phone service provider) phone vendors, who gave me a free shirt like the one the girl has on, in exchange for getting a picture with me on their phones.

It was an exhilirating spectacle. Two goals were scored - one by each side - in the opening 10 minutes. Two more beautiful goals later the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

The football match essentially came with a soundtrack, as a band complete with drums and trumpets started playing music and leading chants during the warm-up period and didn't stop until well after the final whistle. The crowds were at once passionate and intelligent about the sport and their team (a rarity at American sporting events), and enjoyed watching me stand and chant, cheer and sing right along with the locals.

The King Faisal players celebrate a goal by running towards the crowd.

Adjei and I were dissapointed when the final whistle blew, as we wanted to see the Kotoko side come out with a win instead of a draw. But alas, that's football. And today it was fabulous.

Supporters of the Kumasi Ashanti Kotoko football club.

The Crossroads Cup

While the arrival of President Barack Obama to Ghana may have been the primary focus of most Ghanaians last Friday, the Crossroads Cup was the main event in Marfokrom. The Crossroads Cup was a "football gala competition" (or, as we put it more simply in the U.S., 'tournament'). The event was a smashing success, despite the consistent rainfall throughout the day (reminiscent of the Midland Invitational Tournament back home) and the home team's heartbreaking second place finish.

The planning process stole most of my attention on Monday and Tuesday, as we invited six teams from local village primary schools to participate in the event held on Marfo's pitch. Tuesday we met to discuss rules, prizes, and 'balloting' with the school headmasters and the coaches. I explained the organization of the tournament: two groups of three, winners play for the silver Crossroads Cup, second place in each group play for 3rd place. A total of eight matches would be played starting at 11am. We agreed on 20 minute halves, a 36kg 'weight limit' for players (weighed before the matches), and that every team would get a prize for participating, while the winners received footballs and the cup. After the intense meeting came to a close, the men balloted for which group their schools would compete in, and left to inform their players to start training.

Friday morning school was canceled in Marfokrom for the event. The kids made final touches to the field with their machetes, built a shelter using bamboo and palm leaves for us to sit under, and put the nets on the goals. Meanwhile we tied the banner that our group painted to bushes next to the main entrance. All was ready for the arrival of the players and the opening kickoff.

Once the tournament itself was underway for a few minutes, I got goosebumps for the first time since my arrival here. Making this soccer tournament a reality for this community was one of the most rewarding things I have ever been part of. The games were close, the kids were soaking wet but still excited, and the spectators were so jittery that they encroached well onto the field from all sides.


On the sidelines, children beat drums and sang chants as the home team played its matches. The adults yelled out Cedi (dollar) amounts to the players, essentially offering bribes for the first goal, and yelled in the tribal language. By midday, the entire community and many members from the surrounding villages had shown up to the field to watch.

Fortunately for the spectacle, the home team emerged as the winner of the first group, which put them in the final match. The finish could have been taken right out of a movie's script, as a 0-0 tie forced the teams to resolve the match in a penalty shoot-out. With hundreds surrounding the goal and the 10-12 year old players, the shoot-out was quite the scene. Unfortunately, the home side lost, forcing us to let another village's team hoist the cup we purchased as the first prize.

Hugs, tears, high fives, smiles, and thank-yous were all shared with us as the prizes were presented. These kids aren't likely to ever make it to play on the world's stage with Ghana's great football heroes. But thanks to the Crossroads Cup, these kids had a chance to experience the thrill of competition to its fullest in Marfokrom on Friday, just like I did in the 'glory days' in Petoskey, Midland, and Ann Arbor.