In 1970 the Ghana Black Stars narrowly missed out on winning the Africa Cup of Nations in Sudan as they lost by a single goal to the hosts who scored in the 12th minute of the match.
It was indeed a valiant attempt by the Ghana Black Stars who had braved through the earlier rounds against tough opposition including the Ivory Coast without their oldest and star player of that squad.
The squad of 1970 was packed with all time greats such as Robert Mensah, Joe Ghartey, Oliver Acquah, John Eshun, Ibrahim Sunday, Malik Jabir and Kenneth Owusu, who scored five goals during that Africa Cup of Nations.
As usual, the Ghana Black Stars returned home from Sudan as national heroes for their efforts but there was an issue that remained forgotten, although, initially, it was of great concern to the Black Star management, technical handlers and of course the nation.
There was and still is (may God give him long life) a certain Osei Kofi, who eventually became known as Reverend Osei Kofi and noted for his ability to score goals from corner kicks and work wonders with his dazzling display on the field.
He was selected as part of the squad but refused outright to go, as he was not happy with the money that was on offer at the time.
Reverend Osei Kofi walked out on the Ghana Black Stars� camp declaring that he was going to put his club (Kumasi Asante Kotoko FC) before country because of the shabby way the Sports Council had dealt with national team players. He declared, �The Sports Council should endeavor to give unto Caesar what is for Caesar!� He went on to say that the 78 old Ghana Cedis was �meager� when he took into consideration the fact that he had a wife and three children plus an ailing mother and father.
In 2006, Michael Essien, during a match he was playing for Chelsea, limped off after suffering damage to his ankle after West Ham�s Nigel Reo-Coker fouled him. It was reported the injury would rule Essien out for three weeks rendering him unavailable for the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for Egypt in January 2006.
The speculation about the genuine nature of the injury, in particular the length of time it would take for him to recover, was a subject matter for extensive debate. Ghana needed Essien to feature in the Africa Cup of Nations but Chelsea, who were chasing English premier League honours were also in dire need of his services. In fact they loathed playing any match without Essien in their squad!
The debate about African players jetting off to their respective countries to feature in the Africa Cup of Nations was a big issue in the United Kingdom and English Premier League at the time too. To be honest, it is still a big issue even now!
Many football Journalists and football Analysts began to question the loyalty of Michael Essien to his country. His refusal to even return to Ghana for a medical examination by the Ghana Football Association�s medical team fueled the speculation that Essien may not, after all, be injured but did not want to miss out on the EPL at a time when his club needed him most.
The Ghana Football Association waded into the debate with their eyes closed and with two left feet. A delegation left Ghana to go and meet with representatives of Chelsea FC to discuss the matter. Their intention was to somehow get Michael Essien released for the Africa Cup of Nations but unfortunately, they were unsuccessful.
And when they returned, they told us all grand stories about Chelsea FC agreeing to a partnership with the GFA which would allow Ghanaian Coaches to travel to Chelsea FC for Coaching Clinics and the like, as well as a host of other activities.
And just in case you forgot, there were also rumours making the rounds, of the GFA receiving �compensation� for Michael Essen�s absence; something that I have no empirical proof about whatsoever, but chose to remind you of in this piece nonetheless.
The fact of the matter was that the GFA could not get Michael Essien to return to Ghana to be examined and until this day we do not know if the GFA representatives were even given a copy of the medical report or just simply allowed to read it! And guess what; the collaboration between Chelsea FC and the GFA failed to materialise too and so the issue was dead, buried and almost forgotten.
Step up Kevin Prince Boateng an outstanding young player who had progressed through the ranks of the German academy system and had featured for Germany at national junior levels and was even being considered for senior national team call-ups too. His stint with Tottenham Hotspur FC could hardly be described as classical and he was shipped out on loan to Portsmouth where he played a pivotal role despite their relegation.
His swift inclusion into the Ghana Black Stars was warmly welcomed but after appearing at the World Cup in South Africa 2010, our relationship with Kevin became cold as he declared he would not play for Ghana again. The reasons he gave at the time were incomprehensible and as such, did not go down well with Ghanaians.
However, I gathered from discussions with him that he did not want to come out to declare what the real issues were which were by and large management based and preferred instead to be satisfied with the fact that at least, all and sundry would, at least, understand that he had resigned from the Black Stars. I won�t give him credit for the way in which he excused himself but I will say that after speaking with him extensively about it that I fully understand and empathise with him.
His eventual return to the Ghana Black Stars involved much more than what meets the eye; nonetheless he braved the scorn and returned for the cliffhanger against Zambia at the Baba Yara Stadium. In the end, he did not kick a ball for a single minute during that encounter but instead demonstrated his commitment by running around the tartan tracks clutching a Ghanaian flag, after declaring himself unfit to play because of a nagging knee injury. He also complained of the pitch, in his opinion, being excessively hard too!
So at the weekend, when he was taken off in the match between Schalke 04 and Augsburg in the German Bundesliga, naturally, we all became weary having been struck by so many injury problems. However it is unfair to brand Kevin Prince Boateng unpatriotic and to deride him in the way he has been derided by big and small when we have not even had the opportunity of seeing his medical report.
I am sure; absolutely sure, that the last thing Kevin Prince boating wants is to miss this encounter against Egypt. But at the same time, I can also say that he does not relish the opportunity of playing on the Baba Yara pitch for fear of aggravating the problems he is currently facing with his left knee after enduring up to half a dozen operations to reconstruct it.
It is not always advisable to be taking strong painkillers before matches; in fact it�s not a healthy practice at all and is not sustainable in the long term.
No one questioned the patriotic nature of Rev Osei Kofi when he decided to opt out of the Ghana Black Stars because he was dissatisfied with the financial incentives on offer and no one did the same when it was clear that Michael Essien also decided he would rather play for club than country in 2006 either. So do me a favour and withdraw such frivolous comments with regards Kevin prince Boateng too.
Source: Nana Kwaku Agyemang
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