Feature: Nania FC produce Barcelona-style of football

By Ameenu Shardow

‘I would probably sit-on and crush my testicles.’ That would have been my response if asked whether it was possible for a Ghana team much less a Division One club play like FC Barcelona prior to Sunday’s game.

Folks, I am not mincing words and believe me; I am not exaggerating on this particular subject. Those at the stadium for the FA Cup final between Nania FC and Asante Kotoko will attest to this fact.

Immediately from the blast of referee Thomas Nunoo’s whistle at exactly 4pm, one could clearly tell the boys were in to treat onlookers to a sumptuous meal of football.

Even when under pressure in their eighteen, a neat one, two, three passes were all they needed to get out of trouble.

However, it wasn’t all rosy for the young lads. If there were any criticisms on the day, it would definitely be on their finishing. Their attack looked so blunt that the final score was very magnanimous to the Premier League giants to say the least.

Only if football were boxing, anyone at first glance will see how the Porcupine Warriors were buttered and bruised that fateful Sunday.

Indeed, this no mean achievement is not rocket science. In actual fact Africans especially we Ghanaians have all the characteristics to play that brand of football. Not too long ago in our football history, people traveled far and near to watch the famous ‘Agoro’ style of play attributable to Ghanaian teams.

But how spoilt have we become of late that the ‘greedy’ penchant for success at all cost has cost us our identity as a footballing nation. Clearly, there is a way we can have our fine, free flowing ‘agoro’ soccer and achieve success at the same time which makes it even better.

“I studied the training methods of Barcelona, used what a learnt playing under some of the world’s top coaches when I was active and added the modern trend of the game in making my team played like that,” a not qualified coach, Abedi Pele told GHANAsoccernet.com.

“We however had to draw a line between individual skills and collective play to ensure we have a uniform strategy”

And this begs the question, what are the so-called experienced local coaches doing all these time?

Why do they make coaching look like such a difficult job when in actual sense it’s all about education, observation and keeping abrest with modern trends without loosing the playing identity of the core materials, the players.

How come wouldn’t we complain of low patronage of our premier league games when the champions and the second placed team were treated to a sound football lesson by minos Nania FC.

But again, don’t be fooled into thinking this is the kind of quality we have in the Division One.

Poor infrastructure predominantly prevents these young ones from letting their imagination go wild. And when that happens, the football is just disgusting to the eyes.

I salute Nania FC not only for winning the 2011 MTN FA Cup because any other team could do that but then for winning in style which is by far the most  difficult thing to do but only when the basics are not followed.

I can only hope their big brothers in the Premiership have taken notice and would at least try to put some swag in the way they play for mother football to grow even bigger in this country.