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Celebrating 2010 Fifa
World Cup South Africa & the Women
Soccer Queen Alberta Sackey
Scores Dream Goal
By Samuel Kissedu
Published: May 21, 2010
As the Black Stars struggled to score during a crucial international match in Accra years ago, an aggrieved fan of the men’s national soccer team could no longer contain his anger. “Alberta Sackey …coach bring her on! She is a good player. She would not miss such goal scoring chances. She can do better than these disappointing boys,” he poured out his frustration amid uncontrollable laughter from the stands.
Those were the days when the Black Stars had hit a bad patch. Despite the availability of great talents and resources, qualification for the World Cup was a nightmare. With high expectations from Ghanaians, the Black Stars failed to shine. Amid the despondency, the Black Queens, from nowhere, did the impossible. They set the pace for the big boys to emulate by qualifying for the 1999 edition of the World Cup.
Of course, men’s soccer and women’s soccer are two different ball games. However, when a gifted female displays impeccable skills, tantalizing ball control and infectious scoring skills, a man will cry out, “coach bring her on” to express his disgust about the big boys.
Indeed, when in action, her pace and pedigree are points above her female peers and you may mistake her for a man in action. She has speed, shoots well and scores nice goals.
In Ghana soccer folklore, mention Sackey’s alias Albino and the reaction is, “Oh the lady who plays like a man.” She executes the scissor kick or bicycle kick like a man.
A metaphor for excellence in women’s soccer, Sackey captained the Black Queens to two World Cups in 1999 and 2003. She reached the pinnacle of her glorious career in 2003 when the African Football Confederation crowned her Africa’s Best Female Footballer for her brilliant performance at the African Women’s Championship held in Nigeria that year. Sackey shot her way to stardom with four brilliant goals. She capped a vintage performance with a memorable goal against the hosts, Nigeria. “It was the first time the Black Queens ever beat Nigeria and on their home soil. It was a memorable day,” she recollected.
It is just over ten years ago since Sackey led a Ghanaian soccer team to participate in a senior World Cup for the first time. Another World Cup beckons, the first ever on African soil in South Africa. It provides an opportunity to assess how the girls in red, gold and green outfit inspired the big boys and empowered the girl-child and thus, transformed the destiny of Ghanaian soccer. The significance of the Black Queens feat cannot be lost on soccer connoisseurs, as the men’s game takes centre stage again after the debut in Germany in 2006.
Sackey still has fresh memories of her inspirational leadership that took Ghana to the senior World Cup for the first time in the U.S. in 1999.
“Ghana has a lot of female soccer talents and we were determined to prove this point. I knew we could go places and it was a matter of time for this to materialize,” stated the talented player.The women’s feat came at a time when tremendous efforts by the men’s team had all ended fruitlessly. The Queens repeated their feat four years later in 2003 which served to only accentuate humiliation of their male counterparts. There were grumblings in Ghanaian soccer circles. As pacesetters, the women had the bragging rights. The talk in town was why the women had participated in two World Cups while the men were still shooting off target.
Significantly, Ghana had capitalized on FIFA’s developmental soccer tournaments for boys, termed FIFA UNDER 17 and FIFA UNDER 20 World Cup, to unearth many talents, who plied their trade in Europe. Even so, the nation could not achieve success at the senior level.
On the other hand, the women’s team qualified for the two World Cups, neither with the benefit of these juvenile structures, nor any foreign-based professional players or coach. However, as a spin-off of the Black Queens’ success, Ghana now boasts of female Under 17 and Under 20 national teams due to the huge interest in female soccer.
Meanwhile, in the male-dominated world of Ghanaian soccer, the teasing, taunts and humiliation emanating from the Queens’ success, galvanized the big boys. If women can inspire men to greater heights, this was one good example, as later events revealed. Apparently inspired by the women, the Black Stars accepted the challenge and doubled their efforts and it paid off. After their debut in 2006 edition staged in Germany, the Black Stars make a second appearance in South Africa, the first time on African soil, in June to contend for the plume prize of world soccer.
Despite the success, Sackey was modest in reacting to the trailblazing feat.
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