On air: Who to cheer for now? Should African fans support Ghana?

I just happened to catch the first few minutes of World Cup Have Your Say, in which Ros Atkins was interviewing a number of children, and asking them which team they support. Since they were African children, he was very surprised when the first one answered "Portugal" - and then the second one did too. He went quickly on to the third child who finally gave the expected answer "Ghana". After asking 5-6 children he concluded, "So most people support Ghana, but some support Portugal too." Actually, Ros, if you listen to the clip I think you'll find it's about 50/50.

As for me, i'll be screaming my lungs out for Ghana, ofcourse because i'm african and i'll like to see Africa represented at the highest level.
But i'll also be shouting for the little men of Chili. I love their approach to the game. Their self-confidence, their adroitness, their fleet-footedness and their don't-care-'bout-your-bignames approach to the game. They're simply magical, the Chileans.

I certainly agree with the observation that all Africans will now be solidly behind Ghana as they take on the USA. I personally have my doubts if they will win because they don't seem to have many goals in them and the US team is very decent. Remember last year they defeated European Champions Spain in the Confederations Cup last year to reach the final which they lost to Brazil. If Ghana lose to the US, I feel Ghanians will probably switch their allegiance to England given the historical colonial links between Ghana and the UK. Who am I cheering for? Well I wish Ghana luck tonight, but to win the tournament, I have been rooting for Brazil right from the start, simply because as we have seen in glimpses so far, when Brazil really turn on the style, they are breathtaking to watch. They have a tough challenge ahead against Chile coming up, but I think they will just have too much for them.

In reply to Christian Atam, yes I agree with you about the Chilean team. I have been pleasantly surprised by their performances in the group stage. They do have a pugnacious kind of spirit and not a little flair about them. I like the look of Sanchez up front. He's a hard worker for the team, he's not afraid to shoot on the goal but he's not selfish either. He is still young and I think he has stardom written all over him. Chile are my dark horses for the tournament, especially if they can beat Brazil. Unfortunately, for them I think they might just be missing a couple of key players through suspension, so I think Brazil may just nick it.

One of the commentators just said '..there are plenty of white South Africans holding Ghanian flags..' Does it always have to be about race with you lot? It's just Africans supporting an African team.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Ben---

Yes, African fans should support the Ghana National team in this ongoing World Cup 2010 in South Africa...

(d)

If Greece were the last European team in the world cup, would Europe cheer for Greece? Probably not, they would cheer for the most entertaining side. Wouldn't it be the same for any other continent?

Have Africans any other choice? We must support Ghana till we annex that cup.

I've got to think that continental pride is some sort of inferiority complex thing. Mexico was the last North American team left in the tournament, and I still wasn't upset in the slightest when Argentina defeated them. I think people should be more concerned with their own countries rather than continents.

Since Canada doesn't have a team in the World Cup, I can enjoy the ineffable pleasure of cheering for whomever I please. At the moment, it's Ghana. I would love to see them go all the way, but if they're eliminated, I'll cheer quite as happily for another team.

I'm not African by ethnicity, origin, or culture. I do, however, enjoy the World Cup, and (anathema!) I quite like the vuvuzelas.