On Saturday 27th June 2015, I joined thousands of Ghanaians at the Accra Stadium to bid a soccer farewell to the former Black Stars Captain, Stephen ‘Tornado’ Appiah after 20 illustrious years of a career that began in Accra, flourished in Serie A (Italy), reached its pinnacle in Süper Lig (Turkey) and ended in Super Liga in Serbia. And what a spectacle his testimonial match turned out be. The proverbial prophet, in this rare case, was given a fitting honour in his own country. A reported 30,000 fans showed up to lend their support. And a glimpse at the crowd spoke volumes not just of ‘Tornado’s broad appeal, but perhaps even  more importantly, it offered an insight into the depth of his humanity ;from fishermen to ‘fishers of men’, law makers to law enforcers, fuel pump attendants to oil magnates, local administrators to  ambassadors, all major spheres of society were represented.

The game itself, which was blessed with a ceremonial kick-off by the President of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, turned out to be entertaining, despite the 2: 2 draw -especially in the second half, courtesy of the calibre of players on hand. They included  4x African Player of the year, Samuel Eto , 2013 African footballer of the year, Emmanuel Adebayor and our own Asamoah Gyan, Africa’s all time leading scorer at the World Cup(6 goals in 3 World Cup Appearances). For most fans, the highlight of the game was when Stephen Appiah, the ex Juventus star scored his team’s second goal, in ‘Pirlo-esque fashion’ from a well taken free-kick. The goalkeeper of the Black Stars X1, Sowah was completely wrong footed as the ball sailed into the top right corner of the goal post. That moment of genius was priceless and served as a reminder of the legend of Stephen Appiah. It deservedly received a rousing applause from players and spectators alike. Perhaps the only other moment which produced a similar reaction from the crowd was when Adebayor and ‘Baby Jet’ decided to show off their dancing skills to  Gasmilla’s ‘Telemo’, the hottest track in the country today.

But undoubtedly, the biggest honour (to Stephen) on the day came in the form of the presence of all 3 (living) Ghanaian Presidents under the 4th Republic. Two well known political opponents, Ex President Jerry John Rawlings and Ex President John Agyekum Kufour and the incumbent President John Dramani Mahama – were united for 90 minutes at the altar of nationalism to pay homage to a symbol of tireless commitment and fierce dedication in the service of Mother Ghana.

To attract three Presidents to a farewell match is truly historic and in many ways speaks to the measure of the man, Stephen Appiah.

How does a soccer player nurtured on the streets of Chorkor rise to such significance and end up not only playing before Presidents, captains of industry, political juggernauts, religious leaders and but along the way also earn their perpetual respect and admiration? How is it that in spite of having a less prolific scoring record and winning less silverware at international level with the Black Stars, Appiah is the only player who is able to tug at the heart strings of the Ghanaian public in a way no other player has in the last 2 decades?

I believe we can glean a lot from the 4 C’s of Appiah’s life: Character, Conduct, Commitment and Consistency.

CHARACTER

The renowned sportswriter, Heywood Broun once asserted  “Sports do not build character .They reveal it”. He believed games had the power of unmasking one’s true personality. This has subsequently being validated in research studies. The sporting world is replete with examples of gifted people with notoriety but only a handful possess the ability to undergird their giftedness with character. In my view, this is one of the things which differentiates Appiah from his peers. Chief among the many positive character traits he possesses is his humility. Whether interacting with the man on the street or with dignitaries, he always remains humble and shows an uncanny respect for each individual. There is a saying “you can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for Him”. By that measure, Tornado stands tall. Appiah himself says, in response to this aspect of his personality”. I’ve always been like this”. And this is certainly not a case of ‘talk being cheap’ .Several callers on a phone-in sports programme I listened to corroborated this- recalling how he always made time for people– whether to say ‘hi’, sign autographs or ‘bless people financially’. And these acts were always done in a genuinely friendly manner. It is this humanity that endears him to so many people.

 CONDUCT

Appiah is self-disciplined and a consummate professional. He is also a strong believer in team unity being a catalyst for success, and he leads by example on this. Little wonder that his reign as captain of the Black stars co-incided with some of the best displays of ‘espirit de corps’ and performances from the team.

It is fitting that it was he who led Ghana to her maiden crisis-free World Cup appearance in 2006. It is widely believed that the widespread indiscipline and cloud of disgrace that accompanied the Black Stars at the 2014 World Cup would never have occurred under his watch as captain. The Speaker of Parliament was echoing the thoughts of millions of Ghanaians when he told Appiah during the latter’s visit to Parliament ahead of the testimonial match: “Your absence in Brazil speaks for itself in terms of unity and discipline and later asked. Whatever skill that you have in you that enabled you achieve that purpose, that unity in camp, try to put that at the disposal of the current Black Stars.”

COMMITMENT

If there is one noun you can count on appearing in a paragraph on the qualities of the Tornado, it has to be commitment. Whether in a club or national jersey, one was always guaranteed to see the steely qualities of determination and fierce commitment on display, 100% of the time. His former Black Stars colleague and Italy-based player, ‘Agyemang Badu recently said of Appiah. “His commitment and dedication to the cause of his club (i.e.Udinese) remains a major topic in the club” .

And what he does for club, he equally does, if not more, for country. One of the lines in our National pledge reads: “I pledge myself to the service of Ghana, with all my strength and with all my heart”. When I muse on this, Appiah’s image of dedication and patriotism looms large on the screen of my mind. The GFA Chairman, who is on record to have said that Appiah is the best captain he’s worked with cited his exceptional character and in particularhis dedication as being second to none. Others like ex Black Stars International Willie Klutse also acknowledge this. He is quoted as saying “He (Appiah) is a unique character.  I have never seen a player with such commitment and passion for his country. What he has done both on and off the field cannot be matched by anybody.” Such praises are not only salutary but encouraging to hear –especially at a time when we hear recurring reports of footballers who frequently put money ahead of their commitment to the nation.

 

CONSISTENCY

Appiah has consistently being a top performer especially for country. At U-17, U-20 and with the senior national team, the Black stars, he has produced stellar performances and several game-changing moments. This midfield impresario could always be counted on to do the job; whether in the tough loss against Spain during the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1997, or when controlling the midfield as he did authoritatively, with Essien in Ghana’s famous 2-1victory against the Czech Republic at the 2006 World Cup, or when leading by example, as he did when he stepped up to convert the game-winning penalty in the 2: 1 win against the USA in 2006)

Appiah, the non–resident Ghanaian ambassador to Turkey

I experienced first- hand the power of the Appiah legacy during my 2 year stay in Istanbul. As a Ghanaian soccer fan, I was aware Appiah had once plied his trade there, but I certainly did not realize was how much goodwill he had left behind in Istanbul- which I became a beneficiary of, courtesy of our common heritage.

As a black yabanci in Istanbul, the question of my nationality, understandably, served as intriguing trivia. I heard Nerelesin? a number of times .And when I responded, Ghana ! the reaction was wonderfully predictable; the person’s face would light up, followed by a yell of Appiah, Appiah along with gesticulations signaling appreciation of his contribution . My corresponding reaction was equally predictable; like a skin rash, a tidal wave of smiles will run across my face and a warm glow would spread across my heart and soul. The feeling was one of national pride- borne out of the knowledge that one of the sons of Ghana has represented the flag so well; so well that I was basking in the afterglow of his positive impact. Throughout my stay, thanks to Tornado’s legacy and goodwill, I often felt like a giant even in my minority state. I was later to learn that others had received several favours (e.g. free meals and an upgrade on a flight) on account of their ‘Ghanaian-ness’

I once asked a Turkish friend, Ediz ( a Fenerbahçe fan)  why Appiah was so loved in Turkey. His response was, “He was a good all round player- strong and skillful, packed a good shot and scored goals. He was also determined, worked hard, was well behaved and friendly”. In that response, Ediz captured the essence of the 4C’s of Appiah’s life.

It is a joy to see one use his/her well-honed God-given gifts to serve their nation and generation. But it is an even greater joy when this is done with dignity and humility . Appiah is a fine example of what service to a nation entails.As a country, we need to leverage this asset and the goodwill he carries for the benefit of our sports development agenda. It is my firm belief that this gentleman could serve the nation in a number of offices in the near future; e.g. as a Sports ambassador, Goodwill ambassador or even as a leadership consultant to selected national sports teams.