One message ran through the various interviews granted by the Black Stars and their celebrity counterparts who thronged the Baba Yara Stadium last Sunday- peace.
The stars’ quest to see a peaceful general election was demonstrated a day before the Stars Soccer Fiesta Reloaded when they paraded their luxurious automobiles in a spectacular road show with police escort, from the Accra Mall to the Garden City of Kumasi.
Togolese super star and Tottenham Hotspur forward Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor, Asamoah Gyan, Agya Koo, Nollywood star Emeka Ike, among others, in separate remarks, underscored the importance of peace.
Indeed, the organizers of the event, Gold Star Consult, achieved their purpose of trumpeting the message of peace ahead of the December Elections.
To the celebrities, violence that is usually associated with elections in Africa should be a thing of the past, hence their travelling all the way for the peace campaign.
“Our beautiful continent is gradually being noted for violence during and after elections. It is a bad trait. We should do everything possible to preach the message of peace before elections like we are doing today. That is the only way we can move forward as a continent,” Adebayor said in an interview.
The spectators embraced the message wholeheartedly by clapping in acknowledgement when the stars presented their peace messages before the game.
Agya Koo and Samini rendered their versions in their mother tongues, twi and dagarti languages respectively.
Agya Koo, despite missing three spot kicks, ignited the Stadium anytime he had the ball with his antics; so was Funny Face, Castro and Nana Ama Mac Brown.
And unlike in previous editions where the Stars recorded a heavy score lines, in the Baba Yara clash, the inclusion of Gyan and Adebayor in the celebrities’ squad changed the story, as the two sides finished on level terms, which pushed the game to spot kicks after a 4-4 score line.
Nana Ama’s penalty kick against Stars goalkeeper Daniel Adjei was a beauty.
Special trophies were presented to Adebayor, Gyan, KK Fosu, Kwabena Kwabena, Barffour Gyan and others for rallying behind the campaign put together by Vit’s Instant Noodles and supported by Lucozade Sport and the Asamoah Gyan Foundation.
The Star Soccer Fiesta Reloaded train will stop at the Essipong Stadium next year.
“It’s been very challenging bringing all these stars together, but I am happy they made it. It shows the love they have for our dear country. The program keeps improving year after year, and we will push it to the top until we realize our dream of using part of the proceeds to support charity,” were the words of a satisfied Gyan after the game.
From Kofi Owusu Aduonum, Kumasi
