GFA Denies Boakye claims

Ghana Football Association (GFA) Vice President, Fred Pappoe, has described as misleading, assertions made by Ghana international, Isaac Boakye that an official invitation was not extended him to feature for the Black Stars in a friendly this year.

The VFL Wolfsburg player last week granted several interviews to both local and the international media suggesting he never received an official call to play for the senior team in a recent international game.

But Fred Pappoe, who also chairs the management team of the Black Stars management committee, says the player’s claims are “absolutely untrue.”

“It is rather unfortunate for Isaac Boakye to claim that he never received any invitation because that is absolutely untrue,” Fred Pappoe responded during an iterview with www.ghanafa.org.

“We sent invitation letters to his club on every occasion we invited him but not once did he even have the courtesy of responding to our invitation and subsequent phone calls.”

According to the FA Vice President, the Football Association always ensures that the due process in calling up players were followed.

He explained that like all call ups, an invitation is sent to a player’s club first and after the club acknowledges receipt of the letter indicating the availability or otherwise of the player, the FA follows up with travelling arrangements to the player.

“We did all these and Wolfsburg acknowledged receipt of the letters and the availability of the player but Boakye never responded and also failed to reply our telephone calls and text messages when we tried to reach him to confirm his travelling details”.

Isaac Boakye was included in Claude Le Roy’s 20-man party for February’s international friendly with Nigeria but the player failed to show up even though his club in an official response to the FA on 23rd January prior to the game acknowledged receipt of the FA’s letter inviting the attacker.

“With your fax of 22nd January you invited our player Isaac Boakye to take part of the mentioned international friendly match on February. 06th 2007.

“We informed the player about this and will release him as of the 04th February, 2007.

“Please send us his flight details in order to give the final release,” Wolfsburg’s Manager, Klaus Fuchs in a response to the FA’s invitation.

Ghana Football Association Ghana Football Association Fred Pappoe further explained as shocking how come Boakye’s former Wolfsburg Ghana teammate, Hans Adu Sarpei always received his invitations while he did not obtain his.

“How come Sarpei always received his invitation, responded and got his travelling details and Boakye was the only one who did not get his” Fred Pappoe queried.

“In any case the FA did not hide the information that Boakye had been invited. It announced to the whole world through the internet and if Boakye was interested in playing for the country, what steps did he take to confirm his invitation with the FA when it was announced assuming we did not send the invitation.”

The FA Vice President stressed that the national teams operate an open-door policy adding that the national team was a symbol of the nation and urged players to treat the team and its handlers with respect.

“The FA and handlers of the Black Stars deserve some respect from players, and it is unacceptable when players chose to treat us with absolute contempt.

“In as much as the Black Stars door is opened to all Ghanaian players, the team, being the symbol of the nation would not be held to ransom by anybody.”

Isaac Boakye who in his interviews expressed his willingness to honour any national call provided he is fit to play could still figure in the plans of the team according to Fred Pappoe, “Boakye is not entirely out of the scheme of the Black Stars.”

But he warns that Boakye “should do the right thing if he wants to come back rather than hopping from one radio station to the other.”

Meanwhile FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi has dismissed Isaac Boakye’s allegations of neglect directed at the Ghana Football Association during his time with injury.

The FA President said his personal attempts to reach Boakye on more than three occasions proved futile as the player failed to respond to his calls.

“On one occasion, somebody claiming to be his brother picked the phone and told me Boakye had gone to training, but he (Boakye) never got back to me.”