When there is an intense demand for the home team to do well, it can push the players to perform above their ‘weight’ and get success but in one way of another; it can be counter-productive. So, where do such mixed fortunes that come with playing at home leave Ghana whose fans have been so magnificent every time the Black Stars have been in action? Some people think there are clear disadvantages of playing at home because it doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to win a tournament as there is a great pressure playing in front of your home fans. There is this belief that when people put so much pressure on the hosts it doesn’t help the team, but don’t forget Egypt won the 2006 Nations Cup thanks to some great home support and perhaps Ghana could benefit from such fabulous support. The screaming flocks of Egyptian supporters helped their side the tournament, playing their part as the celebrated ‘12th man’ to perfection. Fans are more useful to the team’s cause than many people actually can realize but home support alone can never be a guarantee to success the team must be good enough to take full advantage of playing in-front of their supporters. The ‘Pharaohs’ benefited hugely from playing at home and Ghana must be hoping for the same fan-propelled push as they prepare for tonight’s semi-final clash against Cameroon. Africa Cup of Nations statistics indicate that host nations have won 11 of the previous 25 tournaments. The last two hosts, Egypt (2006) and Tunisia (2004), both won backed by passionate home support, but before that you have to go back to South Africa in 1996 to find a home winner. In fact, when you look at CAN statistics since the first edition in 1957, home dominance was at its peak in the early years, when fewer teams took part. The first tournament in Sudan attracted only three teams, Egypt, Ethiopia and the hosts where Egypt were the winners. And also, three of the first four tournaments went to the hosts with Ghana winning the fourth edition in 1963 and again in 1978, so Ghanaian fans can take heart from that, and indeed from other trips down memory lane. The burden of expectation from the home fans, more often than not, can get to the home team and that can lead to early crumbling. Numerous host nations in recent years have secured fine results despite not lifting the trophy. Mali returned from the international wilderness in 2002, and reached the semi-finals. Nigeria, co-hosts in 2000, were only denied their third African crown by a penalty shoot-out, while Burkina Faso reached the semi-finals in 1998, a performance they haven’t come close to matching ever since. Host teams have in the past performed, some times beyond the expectations, in fact, you have to go back to 1994 to find a home side that flopped outright when Tunisia failed to go past the group stages. Nigeria were the winners on that occasion, adding to their 1986 success. Going through the Africa Cup of Nations’ history, you find that perhaps the most striking example a host nation ‘punching’ beyond their weight (thanks to home support), came in 1982, when Libya reached the final, losing to Ghana on penalties. So, there seems little doubt that a combination of passionate fans and the comforts of playing at home can take a team far but there is no guarantee that a host nation would certainly win the tournament. However, whether some or all of these factors, coupled with their fine squad of players, take Ghana to their fifth continental title will be determined in the next four days, starting tonight. If the Black Stars can see off the Indomitable Lions, they will be able to welcome back their stand-in captain John Mensah. The big defender was expected to be given a two-match ban after his red card for a professional foul in the quarter-final against Nigeria. Ends
