If you really want to understand why i will always not swallow hook-line-and-sinker whatever the GFA says about a national team player, please, go back and read how the FA treated Sammy Kuffour, specifically, from November 2001 -when Ghanaian, Fred Osam-Duodu, was coach of the Black Stars - to somewhere in 2005 when Serbian, Ratomir Djukovic came to our rescue as a footballing-nation by helping us qualify for our first-ever World Cup experience. It MUST be public knowledge - ie. it is no news - that officers of the FA have, collectively, demonised players who were/are outspoken. They did it, quite shamefully, to C. K. Akunnor in 2001, because, even as captain, he (C.K) went out of his way to criticise some actions of the FA concerning the Stars openly. All who witnessed C.Ks captaincy will tell you how vocal and outspoken he was. Those actions of C.K, most people believed, got the FA, in collusion with legendary coach Osam-Duodu (one Ghanaian coach i have massive respect for), to, as it were, unceremoniously, strip him off the captains armband in November 2001; took him out of the national team for the CAN 2002 tournament, even when he was in TOP FORM for German outfit Vfl Wolfsburg - a team he was captain of. So unfair was the treatment that Sammy Kuffour, who was then the deputy captain, and felt would be naturally promoted to take over from C.K, in solidarity with his team-mate, friend and CAPTAIN, rejected the position outright and went ahead to criticise the GFA harshly when he granted an interview to the BBC. His comments are well-documented, apologies to Kwaku Baako. But for the intervention and insistence of the then-Sports minister, Hon. Edward K. Osei, Sammy Kuffour wouldve been axed from the Black Stars squad for the tournament. So Kuffour was selected for Mali 2002. Since he was not fully forgiven by the FA and coach for those open criticisms, his days in Mali were numbered. In camp, the coach and FA were monitoring his every move, looking for something to nail him with. As predictable, the born-outspoken Kuffour fell into their trap, when he complained bitterly and bluntly about the poor quality of their jerseys and training kits. Those were the days our Stars were sponsored-kitted by L-Sporto, an Italian sports firm. Kuffour played for German football giants, the MIGHTY Bayern Munich, at that time, so he knew what a quality jersey was - no doubt!! Because of that legitimate complaint, Kuffour was described as disrespectful and SACKED from the Stars camp, and from the tournament as well. A classic case of give[ing] the dog a bad name and hang[ing] it. Their trap had caught a bayla (mouse)!!! God, being so good, even before Kuffour packed bag and baggage and stepped out of the teams hotel, news was already rife that Bayern Munich had sent a PRIVATE JET to come for their most-prized defender! Fast-forward, after the tournament, that same year, 2002, the FA saw the sense in Kuffours criticisms and ended the deal with L-Sporto. That clearly is to Kuffours credit. At the tournament, we placed 2nd in our group, qualified to the quarter-finals, met Nigeria and lost 1-0, rather shamefully, thanks to a 80th minute goal from Garba Lawal boots. When the guys were eliminated, quite predictably, everybody blamed Kuffour. What negative adjective didnt the then-GFA capos and their rented journalists used to describe him? He is ..arrogant, disrespectful, full-of-himself, we gave him the chance, now he has grown wings - in fact, they said worst things about him than they are doing and have ever done to Sulley, Kevin, C. K. Akunnor, Dede, and all other outspoken Black Star players. Two years later, 2004, we couldnt even qualify for a common Africa Cup of Nations. The nation had to sit up. Kuffour refused to play for nation on two occassions after that incident, when he was invited, and coach Osam-Duodu was no longer at the helm of affairs. In the first instance, he said his wife was sick so he couldnt leave her alone; in the second instance, he said he was injured. That infuriated Nyaho-Nyaho Tamakloe (FA boss then) who threatened, then, never to invite him again. What happened before Kuffour came back and featured at the 2016 world cup is history now. As posterity has clearly vindicated and washed off all those negative tags on Sammy Kuffour - he now sits and dines with kings and presidents; his views on football are internationally recognised - such will befall Sulley and Kevin soon. Posterity always judges right. NB: I am not by this saying that the FA is wrong all the time, and the players always right. But there are so many examples - the Abedi-Tony Yeboah row, for instance - that makes it difficult and dangerous to trust the FA when it involves the attitude of a footballer in the Stars camp. BE WARY OF THE GFAS RENTED JOURNALISTS! They can turn a sheep into a cow with their lies!!
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 14:15:08 +0000