By Trevor Kramer in PE
Thank God for Ghana, and the British for outlasting the Portuguese, Dutch, Danes and Swedes so that this poor monolinguist (Afrikaans doesn't count) didn't have to be subjected to even poorer translations from supposedly bilingual French and Portuguese-speaking 'translators' during the entire 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
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The Friendly City has been made bearable by the very friendly Ghanaians, some excellent AFCON footy, and the huge amount of journalists who travelled down from the West African nation.
If it were not for the Black Stars, I would once again feel like a visitor in my own country, much like I did at the World Cup.
The Confederation of African Football seems, to me at least, more intent on pleasing the foreign media rather than making this country's reporters feel a part of the event and not just an afterthought.
CAF have not exactly endured themselves to the media throughout the competition, although apart from the farcical scenes at press conferences where after much pleading, the bilingual coaches have been allowed to translate their own responses, I have found the organisers nothing but helpful, if a little disorganised.
The football on display, though, from joint tournament favourites Ghana, has been far from impressive with the team's assistant coach Maxwell Konadu on the end of a grilling at an official team presser at the Garden Court Hotel ahead of their final Group B match with Niger on Monday.
Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan specifically came under criticism for his performances and a perceived lack of leadership, but Konadu was quick to downplay this by insisting it is irrelevant who scores the goals as long as the team is winning.
So here's hoping to a significant improvement against Menas that will allow Ghana to remain in a city they have come to discover a real affinity for.
But my newfound fondness for the Ghanaians has made my desire to see South Africa win their second AFCON, on home soil, and the Ivory Coast claim gold to see Didier Drogba cap off a phenomenal career, rather muddled, much like my ability to decipher the translations of inerudite glottologists...
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