Nigerian Paper: Kufuor Shuns Stars for Italy

Ghanaian football fans are currently lamenting the absence of President John Kufuor from the country on an official visit to Italy as a sign of bad omen.
Kuffour who inspired the Black Stars when they beat Nigeria 2-1 on Sunday by attending the match will unavoidably not be around today when the team meets Cameroon this evening.
Kufuor, is in the Italian capital, Rome, for a World Food Programme assignment.
Already some Cameroonian fans are seeing the development as a good omen for the Indomitable Lions.
A Cameroon fan, Alan Emile Angebeau yesterday after the Indomitable Lions morning training session revelled in taunting Ghanaians about an imminent defeat because Kufuor is not around to inspire them.
"I am sure the Lions will beat the Black Stars. We are happy that the Ghanaian President is not in the country. He will not be among the fans today. Nigeria lost when he turned up on Sunday," Emile said.
However, Kufour, according to a local radio still kept touch with the entire team and officials in a 30-minute interaction via video conference from Italy yesterday morning boosting the morale of the player to remain focused.
The interaction took place in the offices of the World Bank in Accra, with the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mrs Oboshie Sai Cofie, and the World Bank Country Director, Mr Ishac Diwan, in attendance
He tasked them to beat Cameroon and afterwards perform the famous 'Kangaroo Dance'
The Ghanaian President whose constitutionally allowed second term in office will end this year has provided moral support to the Stars by paying regular visits to their camp since Ghana's third group match against Morocco .