No Curse, Just Chaos: Senegal’s World Cup Collapse and Africa’s Recurring Nightmare

Posted on Jul 9, 2026 by Piesie Godfred Standard Reply

Football, is a Game of chances, and there are only Two (2) possible outcomes in a World Cup; Win or Go Home without the trophy!

Football has never needed inventing when it comes to heartbreak, but on July 1, in Boston, Senegal handed the world a fresh case study in how to lose from a position of total control.

With two goals up and five minutes left on the clock and a place in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup within reach, the mystery was unravelled. Goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr had Senegal cruising until Belgium substitute Romelu Lukaku pulled one back in the 86th minute, and Youri Tielemans leveled it three minutes later. Extra time settled nothing until a controversial penalty, awarded after a VAR review, saw Tielemans convert in the 125th minute (reportedly the latest goal scored in World Cup history). Belgium won 3-2 and just like that, Senegal were sent packing.

If it feels familiar, it should. Blowing a commanding lead is one of football’s oldest tricks. North Korea led Portugal 3-0 in the 1966 quarter-final and lost 5-3. Arsenal were 4-0 up on Newcastle in February 2011 and had to settle for a 4-4 draw. Schalke clawed back from four goals down against Borussia Dortmund in 2017. Angola and Mali traded four goals apiece at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. Collapses aren’t new, and they aren’t uniquely African. They’re football.

So why does this one sting differently?

In all, this is a good case study, reflective of the continental sloppy football character, behaviour and overall mentality. Far beyond the pitch, this match reveals the structural, institutional and systemic weakness that has eaten deep into the continental football soul, for so long.

Because Senegal wasn’t alone. Ivory Coast fell to Norway. DR Congo fell to England. Three of the continent’s strongest sides, in a tournament where Africa had more representation than ever before, exited within days of each other in strikingly similar fashion: once in control, and then suddenly not.

That’s the part worth sitting with.

A Record Field, a Familiar Ending

Ten African nations qualified for this World Cup which is more than at any point in the tournament’s history, roughly a fifth of the expanded 48-team field. Nine of the ten made it out of the group stage, a genuinely historic achievement worth celebrating in its own right. But the round of 32 told an older story.

Morocco was the exception, edging past the Netherlands on penalties and then beating Canada to reach a quarter-final against France; with a chance to match or better the continent’s best-ever World Cup finish: the 2022 semi-final run. Everyone else who reached the knockouts and went out lost the same way: leads unprotected, closing minutes badly managed, composure missing exactly when it mattered most.

That’s the pattern that deserves scrutiny. Not a curse. Not bad luck. A pattern.

What Actually Keeps Happening

Strip away the mysticism and a few honest, repeatable problems show up match after match.

Concentration slips late. Whatever discipline holds for the first 70 minutes tends to loosen after it, and opponents have gotten very good at spotting the exact moment it happens.

In-game management lags. Substitutions arrive late, tactical adjustments arrive later, and by the time changes are made, the opponent already has the initiative.

Mentality wavers against bigger reputations. Leads that would be defended comfortably against lesser opposition get surrendered under the weight of a “bigger” name across the pitch.

Politics intrudes on preparation. Bonus disputes and federation dysfunction have an unfortunate habit of surfacing at exactly the moments players need to be thinking about nothing but football.

None of this is fate. It’s process and process can be fixed.

The Case Against the Curse

There is no curse, I honestly think. There is no ceiling written into African football by forces beyond anyone’s control. What there is, consistently, is a gap in structure: coaching depth, sports science, player-development pathways, and federations that treat football as football first and a source of patronage a distant second.

Morocco’s run in 2022, and its position again in this tournament, is proof that gap is closable and not evidence of an exception to a rule. It happened because of investment, planning, and a federation that largely got out of its own way. That’s a replicable model, not a miracle.

Ivory Coast, DR Congo, and Senegal are out, and the disappointment is real and earned. But the more useful response than mourning is asking what changes before the next tournament, rather than filing this one under something beyond anyone’s control. Ninety minutes is enough time to win a football match. It’s also enough time to lose one. The difference, most of the time, isn’t luck. It’s preparation.

COVID-19 AND THE WORLD BEFORE, NOW AND THE FUTURE.

Posted on Mar 30, 2020 by Piesie Godfred Standard 5

I. The World Before

On December 31st, 2019 – New Year’s Eve – many had hopes and firmly believed that 2020 will be their year. Governments had already analyzed their budget and weighed the revenues against their spending. In our part of the world, other steps have already been initiated to look elsewhere to fund the budget – as usual – and 2020 as an election year leaves no doubt about that. It was a year that for the first time in 30 years, Liverpool would have lifted the English Premier League trophy and the most heartbreaking part is, they were just 6 points away from making that a reality. Businesses had projected their profit margins. Obviously, the world education also had its academic calendar intact – only to have these timelines squashed by a virus in less than 90 days. Who would have thought?

II. The World at the Moment

Kids born in 2020 will see this world as normal. They would, I guess, believe that the world has always been in a hurry to overcome. They would again not question anything happening at the moment. To them, it is the world they’ve been born into. To those who can make meaning out of our world today, the world is on break. Everything seems to have come to a stand-still regardless of plans, policies and activities meant for the first half of 2020. It is a time where the world has been plagued by Coronavirus that has affected almost a million people globally as of the time of this write-up. It is a pandemic and the World Health organization was right with that. We are in unusual times where economies are crushing and now the priority lies in the number of citizens a government could save giving its resources most importantly, health professionals and facilities. The world today seems to care less about military might and the one with buttons to nuclear weapons on a desk. The world today has realized that it’s at war but with an enemy who took the world by surprise. An enemy, so deadly and scary. The economy and its growth are on hold if not at rest.

The world today cries out for Leadership and the least one would want to imagine at the moment is being in the shoes of a president or anything near key leadership positions. President of nations continues to fight the outbreak looking at all the options available to them. To be honest, this is not a good time to be just “a president”. The expectations are high from the citizens, the blame game is on and the political strings are being pulled.

What are the alternatives to government under such a life-threatening situation? Think of border closure, mass testing and lockdown, anti-social contact measures and the like and you wouldn’t be far from right. If countries are to take a cue from China, Italy, France, Spain and the United States, then a total lockdown of an entire country would be considered the most effective way of dealing with the crisis. The headache of a government in a developing country is the coping strategies of the majority of its citizens that live from hand-to-mouth, those who queue to access public toilets and other social amenities during a nationwide lockdown. Another headache is the regret of not locking down when fewer or no cases were recorded only to lockdown when 1000s of the population are affected by the virus. In such a situation, health officials and facilities would have been overwhelmed and lives would have been lost. At this point, they are not only considering a lockdown – it is the only choice. And the question is, why wait until things get out of hands?

For these and many other reasons, leaders are pressed between choosing the lesser of two evils and leadership is expected at all angles. Whatever decision the government makes, there will be consequences later if not now. The world today is looking for a way out of this crisis and if for unknown remedies yet, the world is able to defeat this biological war, how will life after coronavirus be like?

III. The World after Covid-19.

The world before corona outbreak and the world after will never be the same. There will be fewer pollutions and lower levels of Carbon Dioxide Concentrations in the atmosphere (Good news to the Montreal & Kyoto Protocols, the Paris Agreement and the likes). Oceans will be less acidic with improved aeration and enhanced marine life which will be protected naturally but for a limited time. The price of crude oil was around $60+ per barrel two months ago. Courtesy corona outbreak and its devastative impact on economies, now a barrel sells for a penny less than $30. Why? Maybe some basic economics will break this down. China is the second-largest refiner of crude and if they’ve been hit hard by the virus with the aviation and transport industry on its knees, then it’s expected that crude wouldn’t command any valuable price at present circumstances. And oh, what’s crude if it has not been refined? Almost useless! But there is still good news for crude producers after the outbreak. Humans drive vehicles but Oil and Gas drive economies. After coronavirus, oil and gas will still have a relevant role to play.

Now let’s focus more on the future. Even if the virus should vanish today, the global economy would still appreciate some negative impacts. However, oil-dependent economies will be hit the most. A 40% drop in crude price will cripple governments budget and corporations will as well revise their budget – downsize where necessary! After the outbreak, the world will begin to work more closely, together and more connected than before. World-systems will change. How we produce, plan, transport and how we communicate will all be reviewed. Economic independence will be on the lips of fewer elite countries—if they are lucky to have a greater chunk of their labor force surviving. The interdependence of nations will shoot up more than the world has ever recorded in history.

Here is the good news for crude producers mentioned earlier. Nations will begin to rebuild their economies at a faster pace. Demand for crude will see an astronomical increase. And this is the point where crude prices will see a marginal rise. This, coupled will the increased demand for labor will give the global economy a boost. Production of goods and services will be expedited as the global economy recovers. Technology and science will continue to improve to develop advanced health systems and professionals.

Any danger ahead? A big YES! The quest to develop and bring the economy to its feet associated with increasing demands for energy and resources will not be good for the environment. There will be pressure on the environment which will lead to mass pollution. Without effective environmental regulations, the goal of Paris Agreement to keep global temperatures below 2°C will be defeated. This will further justify the need for renewable and alternative energy sources.

Coronavirus is indeed a threat to human survival but the world continues to hope and work collectively to overcome. The survival of the human specie must be in the interest of all who want to survive.

A Review of Kojo Cue’s Debut Album “For My Brothers.”

Posted on Nov 26, 2019 by Piesie Godfred Standard Reply

Kojo Cue is a BBNZ signed Ghanaian Hip/Afro Pop Artiste. Off the stage and without the microphone, Kojo is also known as Linford Kennedy Amankwaa. Though he has been in the music industry for a while now, the last few weeks have seen the rapper being the subject of attention courtesy the release of his debut album “for my brothers.” The Album is made up of 16 tracks which features the likes of Worlasi, Joe Derobie, Adomaa, Maayaa, A.I and many others. The duty of this article is the extensively review the Album for better appreciation by music lovers and those who admire and creativity.

To begin, the life of Kojo Cue could be likened to a nerd, introvert and anti-social type of person. But behind the mic, Kojo is a genius who knows exactly how to garnish words with experiences to create a lasting rhythmic effect on the minds of music consumers. Let’s walk through some of the playlists on the album to justify such a claim.

Dua

On the Album, the rapper provided a chronological account of a boy growing up on his own having been cursed and neglected by the father. This is clear in “Dua.” Here, Kojo brilliantly describes a father who cast a spell on the son under frustrations from poverty who rather would love to spend on Alcoholic beverages than take care of the child. The mother, on the other hand, advised the son to be mindful of the women he chose to be with since womanizing together with laziness is a recipe for poverty.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Lyrics from the track “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” as inspired by the Book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” written by the New York Times Best-Selling Author – Robert Kiyosaki, depicts a father who failed to cater to the child. This made the kid struggle throughout the various phases of life. To Kojo, the family that one is born into has an impact on one’s life and poverty strikes the very moment one becomes lazy. The struggle to create and Make wealth for future generations should be paramount to growing adults.

Survivor’s Guilt

This is one of the 16 tracks that gets you emotional when you relate to it. This is where Kojo addressed the situation where one member of a group that was previously toiling and struggling together becomes relatively successful but this person (survivor) is not successful enough to pull his colleagues along. The guilt here is that you are sometimes less fortunate than your colleagues that are suffering (some even dead) but you however make it against the odds. Kojo captured the situation as ‘The trauma of being the only one who made it but still not making enough to help everybody out…” He further buttressed this point by saying “…even though you work hard for your things and your wealth, you feel bad for doing good for yourself.” The possibility of finding oneself in what Kojo termed “Survivor’s Guilt” is likely to be high when one is not able to meet the expectations of childhood peers even when one has his problems to deal with.

Workaholics Anonymous.

In Workaholics anonymous, Kojo Cue Lyrically focused on the dilemma of self-employment and getting employed. The dilemma is the desire to be one’s boss because it’s stressful and frustrating to be working from Monday to Friday for a meager salary. On the other hand, those formally employed are assured of at least salaries “every month” unlike in his case, where he is not certain whether he will get something from his career as a musician. Thoughts of the challenges and frustrations of getting employed formally accompanied by long hours of getting stacked in traffic, having a non-tolerant boss, etc. give him sleepless nights.

You Alone

If Kojo was inspired by any adage for the song, I guess it would be “Each one for himself, God for us all.” You Alone is a track that preaches self-confidence and acceptance. Kojo cautioned against living a life on the dictates of other people. Brothers, therefore, should live their lives the way they know because if they die, they’ll go alone. He, however, admonished “brothers” to support themselves if they want to share in the Glory and Successes of the brothers.

Wo nsa Be Ka (Literary “You will get your own” or “Your time will come”)

Kojo Cue featured A.I on the track and the duo came up with arguably an inspiring piece. This is a restoration song for brothers and sisters. Hustling youth were assured of better days ahead and thus, they should not give up. Although money is not everything, poverty is painful and for that matter, it’s important to keep the struggle going and hoping for better days to come.

Never Mind

This track is what I consider ‘social Advocacy.’ Kojo painted a picture of people having problems and going through countless challenges in society but remain silent because they cannot trust those, they share their problems with. Due to this, people harbor suicide thoughts, depression, fear, domestic violence, sexual abuses and other forms of traumatic experiences. Kojo Cue Advocated that victims and those at risk should seek external help if they can’t deal with the problems by themselves.

Shii The Song

This is the spiritual track on the album for me. He featured Adomaa and the VI Dream Group. The song is about the dwindling hopes of a young man who relied upon God and other people for his survival. Kojo again confronted the situation where people blame the elderly for their woes. But he grew up to appreciate the toils of these elderly people. It is rewarding to be patient and quiet when things are not going as expected. ‘Things always don’t have to be perfect – you can shii the song.”

For My Sisters

Yes, the album, though titled ‘for my brothers’ also has a track dabbed ‘For my sisters.’ This song addresses social injustices and borders on the pervasive nature of gender inequalities in modern times. The status quo of a male-dominated society is challenged and calls for education and reforms that will instigate a social change in that dimension is amplified.

Loser

Then again Kojo Cue spits hard bars on this track. He recounts times when people considered him is a loser for joining the BBNZ Record label. He goes on to admit that, along the line and in the pursuance of success, there are people who will give up on you and even to a larger extent, reject you outright. According to the rapper, “You are who you hang with” and it’s prudent that we carefully chose our friends and the surrounding people. If you need to cut ties with some “negative” friends, it’s worth it because to him, “If I have to lose you to find me, I guess I’m such a loser.” He admitted.

Muddy Story.

Muddy Story from the album features Maayaa. The focus is on a young hustler who mistakenly impregnated a woman he is not ready to marry. Threats from his in-laws are giving him nightmares and he is on the verge of regretting having unprotected sex. The family is keeping his child away from him and he is constantly counting the days till the eighteen birthday of his child – when he thinks the child would be able to understand his circumstance. This is a social issue that is prevalent in most societies. Kojo cue is addressing issues on premarital and unprotected sexual behavior as well as Child Rights and Protection. This is a muddy story and difficult to deal with when one becomes a victim.

The album also has tracklists such as Agro, Smiling, Dzo and Best Paddy. These together with the above listed demonstrates Kojo Cue’s lyrical, creative and socially conscious prowess. His ability to weave personal experiences into the social context makes him exceptional. He consciously uses his life experiences to address prevailing social issues such as Irresponsible parenting, gender inequality, poverty, unemployment, depression and social rejection, relationship, violence and among others. The Album has the characteristics of lasting a lifetime because it is relatable for brothers and sisters, old and young, rich and poor, employed and unemployed, hopeless and depressed, YOU and I.

The Success of Cameroon at Afcon2017, the 5 Important Lessons for All.

Posted on Feb 6, 2017 by Piesie Godfred Standard 4

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photo credit; Google images

1. Money is never enough for success unless it is cushioned by sacrifice. Cameroon came into the just ended competition with haunting memories and hangovers from the Brazil fiasco. Winning bonuses became an issue at the critical moment of the tournament. The players boycotted training a day before their emphatic clash with the black stars. These among other setbacks were enough to see Cameroon off in the first round. Having put their shortcomings behind them, a success story has been told. They did not allow these drawbacks affect their passion for the ultimate.

2. Better be underrated than be overrated on the grounds of complacency which never pays.They (Cameroon) were considered under dogs by many. Most Sports writers and pundits-including myself, least expected the Central African Contenders of the tournament to reach this far. After beating Senegal, Ghana and finally Egypt( countries mostly considered as the powerhouse of African Football ), in a successive bid for the ultimate, sports writers and football analysts now have to redefine who an underdog is in the face of a complacent favourite- like Ghana and the rest , to rewrite their scripts even as sports commentators.

3. Leading is different from winning. In the early embers of the Game between Cameroon and Egypt, the latter looked much more convinced to lift the trophy and a goal as early as in the 22nd minute was enough as evidence. Egypt haven scored a goal in that minutes, relaxed to their normal game of using the flanks to attack Cameroon on a counter thereby relying mostly on their lone striker, Mohammed Salah upfront. This was not successful enough to see the Egyptians double their lead as the Cameroonians defends was as solid as a rock of Gibraltar and difficult to penetrate. The Egyptians though had a goal to their advantage, the Cameroonians dominated play and dictated the pace of the game even in the first half with an impressive possession of 63% as against 37% by the Egyptians. The Cameroonians had a different mentality of winning and leading as they fought hard to equalize and was later rewarded with a tournament winning strike after all. You might take the lead, but someone else can win. It’s about defining whether to win or lead at the end of every situation.

4. Never sit on your laurels. Of Course every country represented at the Afcon had some target. Some came to defend the title, others too to taste the Afcon for the first time, unfortunately, I must say, others came because they qualified-interesting huh! The last time Ghana won the Afcon, Cameroon had a nil trophy to boast of. However, after 35 years of dormancy on the part of Ghana, Cameroon has come from behind to win their 5th Afcon title and currently a force to reckon in Africa – incredible. Ghana are now stacked at 4th Afcon Glory yet always claiming to be the super-powers of African football with consistent disappointment and an embodiment of national confers drainers year in year out. Never sit on your laurels, do more if you can today because life presents us with at times similar opportunities, it depends on how we define and utilize such opportunities.

5. Nobody is indispensable except nothing. Again, and lastly, if the just ended tournament was technically about player quality, class and form, then I don’t think Cameroon would have even qualified in the first place. Before the tournament, players that have been consistent on their side including Andre Onana of Ajax-Amsterdam, Guy Roland of Nancy, Joel Matip of Liverpool, Allan Nyom of West Brom, Maxime Pundje of Bordeaux, Andre Zambo of OM, chuopo moting of schalke 04, Ibrahim Amadou of Lille were all missing from their squad. It’s is disheartening to note that, the aforementioned players chose their respective clubs at the expense of national pride. As unpatriotic as it may sound in your ears, I doubt not that these crusade of players will be biting their fingers and bow their heads in shame by now.

My take: Be motivated to increase your acceleration not because you can run but because you have to-life is a race. Run faster to out run what is chasing you- dreams, aspirations and goals.
In the pursuance of dreams , winners are those that never slept, those that never gave up, those that never sat on their laurels, those that never built a future around dream killers, those that moved on in midst of disappointments and successful failures.
You can move on in life without some people. Even when they say no! It’s about never quitting even when they don’t believe in your dreams, turn you down and even fail to stay by your side when you needed them the most.

To my beloved country Ghana (better luck next time) and all, this is the success story of Cameroon, a blueprint for all prospective winners of every situation. It might not just be football. In every situation, much more than money, complacency, past glories, just taking the lead, and over reliance on people is required to win. To be a winner, it requires the amalgamation of sacrifice, dedication, commitment and a high sense of duty and this should wake you up at night, and hence, a dreamer never sleeps.
Pen down!!!!!

Photo credit ; Google images

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The Kanta attack on a god MC.

Posted on Aug 5, 2016 by Piesie Godfred Standard 5

The recent beef between two of Ghana’s most celebrated lyricists -sarkodie and m.anifest, when analysed from a single angle , could make you err myopically. Why? Because the two artists have something yet more to prove.

Over the years , there has been a shallow lyrical war between the duo and the latest one has received a massive media hype ( from airplays to tweets and even hours it has trended on twitter ) than ever before.

The question is whose campus did it start? Was Sark right to reply m.anifest? Was m.anifest expecting a reply? Is sark really promoting m.anifest as he(sark) purports? These are but few question l ask myself after l had gotten the opportunity to listen to the two counter songs godMc and Kanta from m.anifest and Sarkodie respectively.

Some people argue that, this beef was well structured to expand the commercial base of the two artists in question.
On the other hand, others also say that , such a beef is unhealthy and must not be allowed to develop roots in our entertainment industry.

Not being biased here, Sarkodie’s kanta was nothing but serious Counter_attack on m.anifest coupled with emotions which is evident from kanta lyrics.
Sark’s use of Gtp , woodin , Afrocentric (hehehe…surprisingly, this can even win m.anifest more contracts) in some of his lines clearly depicts how emotional he was as of the time he was recording the kanta song.

M.anifest argues that sark belittled him as he (sark) mentioned his(m.anifest) name in vain.”m.anifest..leme use your do do do ti do to end this verse” Sark too believed that the mere mention of ‘manifest’ was to give him a milage and this sparked a controversy and hence the inedible beef!

I may not know whose camp you are but I’m only dreaming of a day when our entertainment industry would be full of vegetarians. Sounds weird huh? I mean they wouldn’t give beef a chance.