You are here: HomeNews2019 05 22Article 748456

Sports News of Wednesday, 22 May 2019

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ghana’s inability to win AFCON is still spiritual - Rev. Osei Kofi

Former Black Stars player, Reverend Osei Kofi play videoFormer Black Stars player, Reverend Osei Kofi

Former Black Stars player, Reverend Osei Kofi has once again opined that Ghana’s failure to win another AFCON title since 1982 is because of the unresolved spiritual issues around the team.

Rev. Osei Kofi has timelessly professed that the inability to win the trophy is because of curses that some former players of the Black Stars placed on the team after the government reneged on the promises made to the last AFCON winning team. Some of the retired players were adamant that until the promises to them are redeemed the team will not win another AFCON title.

In a bid to overcome that doom, former president, John Mahama paid each player in the squad five thousand dollars to overturn the curse to make the team win the trophy. However, to some extent, the spell was overturned but not fully as Ghana made it to the finals in 2015 but lost on penalties to neighbours Ivory Coast.

According to 1965 AFCON winner, Reverend Osei Kofi the near-misses in 2010 and 2015 happened because the compensation package given to them by former President Mahama was not enough.

In his opening statement to Ghanaweb on Tuesday, the 79-year-old said: “One thing I have to tell the country is that they have to know that it is spiritual.” “When the former President, John Mahama decided to compensate us, he gave us $5,000 instead of the house and look at what turned out, Ghana went to the finals, (we lost the) penalty shootout because I termed it as God just accepted part of it not full,” Rev. Osei Kofi said.

He added that “A promise is a promise. It’s the head of the state who promised on behalf of the country, we are statesmen, we don’t serve any party, we are in for the nation, so if the head of state promises, then he promises for the nation and If the head of state dies, the nation doesn’t die so they have to fulfil the promise and let’s see.”

Despite the prophecy made by a local prophet that Ghana will go ahead to lift the glorious cup that has eluded the country for 37 years if Andre Ayew is made the captain, the former Black Stars player insists the curse will be reversed if the states decides to “settle down and do the right thing,” which is to fulfil the promises because “If you ring Dodoo Ankrah or Joseph Carr today that we (Ghana) are going to Egypt for AFCON, the only thing they will say is until these people settle us, they won’t win the Cup.”