Merchants of Ghana flags, Black Stars jerseys and other football paraphernalia appears the worse affected by the dwindling fortunes of the senior national football team, the Black Stars.
A section of them had hope that a swift turnaround in performance at the ongoing AFCON in Cameroon would boost sales for their wares but that has not been the case following the group opening defeat to Morocco.
With a section of the fans giving up on the team, the traders are hoping that the Stars will bounce back to improve patronage of their products.
Speaking to the Times Sports, the traders expressed worry about the low patronage of their products as well as the performance which has seen a drop in the usual passion that characterized occasions like the AFCON.
Mr. Thomas Duah, a vendor around the Neoplan Station area told the Times Sports that patronage for Black Stars Jerseys and other souvenirs has dropped following the abysmal performance of Black Stars.
“Comparing to the 2008 AFCON which Ghana hosted, I can tell you that sales have dropped significantly. Sales boosts a bit when there are events in town but it has been terrible with this campaign.”
“It has been like that for a while but we put our hopes in the fact that the days ahead of the commencement of the AFCON will mark an improvement but that is not the case.”
According to him, a few customers have complained about the prices but generally, it is because the Black Stars have not performed to the expectations of Ghanaians.
Another vendor at the Accra Digital Centre who is only known as ‘Bohyeba’ said jerseys worn by the Stars in the 1990s was patronized last year when musicians used them in their music videos.
He said that gave them hope that sales would improve in 2022 when the AFCON kick starts.
“That was our dream but sadly it has not been encouraging at all. Fans are obviously unhappy with the team’s performance and that has reflected in the sales.”
“Unlike previous championships, one cannot find people wearing any of the jerseys in town, let alone see fans run around clad in the national colours. Everybody is disappointed.”
He, however, express belief in the Stars ability to bounce back and qualify to the next stage to boost the chances of ending the AFCON drought.
Other vendors the Times Sports interacted with shared similar opinion but urged fans not to give up on the Stars, indicating that the team needs the support of all in such difficult times.
A section of fans that spoke to this paper indicated that the low patronage could be as a result of the expensive nature of the paraphernalia and the poor performance of the team.
Madam Hannah Djawubeaa, a nurse, says she has not bought any of the paraphernalia because she has no interest in the Black Stars matches anymore.
“During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, I bought a Ghana flag and a scarf to show my support for the Black Stars but this year Idon’t feel like wearing one.”
“They were a joy to watch during the time but they are not anymore. The euphoria around the team has disappeared because the current generation of Stars don’t inspire hope.”
Mr. Victor Holdsbrook, a banker, says the Black stars are very disappointing during their matches and that has prevented him from buying Ghana’s paraphernalia. Evelyn Foli, a student, said she is not interested in buying paraphernalia to support Black Stars during the AFCON because of hardship in the country and the poor performance of the Black Stars.
BY EMMANUEL ASANTE
