How fans in KC welcomed Ghana World Cup squad at team hotel: ‘A blessing’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Ghana landed in Kansas City just after 7 p.m., two days ahead of the match.
- Approximately 60 supporters waited more than four hours outside the downtown Sheraton.
- Ghana is one of five African nations remaining after the World Cup round of 32.
Fans of the Ghana national team waited outside the downtown Sheraton Kansas City Hotel for more than four hours before they caught a quick glimpse of their beloved Black Stars.
The team landed in KC just after 7 p.m. two days ahead of their World Cup knockout match against Colombia at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium. The winner in the Round of 32 match could find their way back to KC for a quarterfinal match with another win.
Approximately 60 supporters cheered while they waited patiently through flight delays. Many of the supporters were from Ghana and other African nations, donning their best Ghana team jerseys and flags while waiting for the team’s arrival. Several Ghana flags waved proudly during the windy day as supporters perused the streets around the Sheraton.
They sang songs, belted chants, played music and blew whistles and horns to create some Jama for their club.
Jama refers to the high-energy rhythmic chants sang by people at events, primarily supporters of sports teams, and is pivotal in Ghanaian culture.
Many of the fans were ecstatic to see their home team come to their town. Ghana lost its last group match to Croatia, but Peter Amprako, who moved to America to attend college, was pleasantly surprised when he realized that meant the team would play in his new home area.
He just moved to Overland Park on Monday and is hoping to get tickets for the match.
“We wanted to win that game, but if losing means that it comes to my city, I get to support them up front,” Amprako told The Star.
Several gatherings for Ghana fans will be going on in the buildup to Friday. The Ghanians in Greater Kansas City group is hosting a supporters rally at 5 p.m. Thursday at Washington Square Park. For fans not able to attend the match, there will be a watch party on Friday at DISTRKCT, a co-working space at 1328 Agnes Ave.
Fans like Amprako will be able to connect more with Ghana natives because of their arrival in Kansas City. Abigael Chesoi, a Kenya native, also waited in the crowd. She’s cheering for Ghana and all the other African nations still in the World Cup, simply because African nations support each other, she said.
“Brazil, France (national teams), we know all of them because they are big countries. They’ve got a lot of resources. Africa, we are struggling in terms of a lot of things,” Chesoi said. “So seeing them in other countries like this is a blessing.”
African teams have already made history in the World Cup and at Kansas City Stadium. Nine out of 10 African teams qualified for knockouts, the most ever in a World Cup. That includes Algeria, which drew its last match in KC to advance.
After the first handful of knockout-stage matches, there are five African nations remaining.
A Ghana win could help give even more credibility to African football, which consistently faces criticism and skepticism, often based on unfounded racial stereotypes.
“It would solidify African football as a powerhouse of the modern game,” Amprako said. “A lot of people have downplayed and said a lot of nonsense about African football online. So I think it would mostly help them to eat their words and put us out there even more.”
