SPOTLIGHT: Meet Fobih, 10-year-old Ghanaian sports presenter, who wants to become the next Jon Champion

Age, they say, is just a number; not a measure of individual potentials or strengths. Dominic Fobih, a 10-year-old Ghanaian sports presenter, is a quintessential example.

At 10, Fobih boasts of in-depth knowledge in sports, particularly football, and often dazzles many with his quality of contributions about soccer on radio and TV stations.

In an interview with BBC Pidgin, the young sports presenter said he started developing an interest in football at 6 when his brother took him to watch a UEFA Champions League final.

Fobih added that after the match, which was between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, he told his brother that he would love to become a sports commentator.

“I started developing interest in football at the age of 6 when my brother took me with him to watch a UEFA Champions league final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid,” he said.

“After the game, I turned to my brother and told him that I would love to be a commentator and make people laugh one day. He laughed.”

Between him and his passion, however, was a major challenge. At his village in Assin Foso in the central region of Ghana, there was neither a television set nor an internet to further nurture his interest in sports commentary.

But the little boy was ready to brace the odds and often trekked to neighbouring villages to catch a glimpse of live football matches.

“Because there’s no internet or television in my village, we usually trek to the neighbouring villages to watch football games,” he said.

Fobih also explained how he often became the butt of jokes whenever he tries to run commentary on football matches between teams in his village.

“In my village, when young men are playing football, l do go there to run commentary which often make them to laugh at me,” he added.

The little boy’s passion for sports commentary eventually got a boost when his brother took him to the district capital to enable him to access the internet and research more about football.

It marked the turning point for the young kid, who christened himself as the youngest sports commentator in Africa.

“Also, due to poor network, my brother took me to the district capital to enable me research more about football. I want to do research about football because l want to be a journalist. When anyone asks me something about sports, it usually comes to my mind as picture due to the research that l had done,” he added.

The young Ghanaian has since continued to pull the strings, snagging numerous deals with media houses as well as popularity on social media platforms.

“Because of my works on radio and TV stations, some has donated a TV set for my father in the village. Now, my friends and family watch me on TV,” he said.

Fobih has endeared himself to many soccer lovers in the West African country and beyond with his wealth of knowledge on football.

Commenting on major title contenders for the 2020/2021 EPL season, Fobih said: “I think Tottenham will win the English Premier League (EPL) this season because if you see the likes of Son Heung-min, Sergio Reguilón and Harry Kane, they’re all good performers.

“Before the commencement of this season’s EPL, we thought Liverpool will continue winning the title following their last year’s heroics. But now, l don’t think so. Apart from Liverpool, l think Tottenham or Leicester City.”

He also weighed in on the controversial debate bordering on who is the better player between the late Diego Maradona and Pele, two football legends.

“I think Pele was better than Diego Maradona. Maradona may be skillful than Pele but in terms of goals, trophies and achievements, the latter is better,” he argued.

With rising popularity, Fobih looks destined for the top and the young kid hopes to replicate the heroics of Jon Champion, ace British sports commentator.

“My biggest dream is to become a commentator in the future. I want to run commentary for Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) games, Italian Seria A, Spanish La Liga, FIFA World Cup, EPL and the UEFA Champions League so that my friends who listen to me will know that this is Dominic Fobih known in our village,” he added.