Confusion in FA over Sammy Adjei

There is an apparent confusion in the corridors of the Ghana Football Association over the retirement from the Black Stars of Israeli based goalkeeper, Sammy Adjei.

While FA President, Kwesi Nyantekyie says he is aware of Adjei’s retirement from the team, his official spokesman, Randy Abbey told the Ghana News Agency the news broke by Happy FM is false.

Mr. Nyantekyie told local soccer website KickOffGhana.com that he has received a letter from the player on his planned retirement, but says the GFA would try to convince him not to cut short his international career.

But Mr. Abbey says as far as the GFA was concerned, Sammy Adjei was still a member of the senior national team and would be invited for national assignment where necessary.

The conflicting positions taken the two FA capos further strengthen reports of infighting in the FA which became public after Mr. Abbey told journalists that Coach Claude Le Roy had been offered a new contract without the consent of his bosses leading to speculations in the media that he had been fired.

HERE ARE THE TWO REPORTS.

GFA to woo Adjei back

The Ghana Football Association will attempt to talk Israel-based goalkeeper Sammy Adjei out of his intended retirement from the senior national team, the Black Stars. GFA chairman Kwesi Nyantekyie told KickOffGhana.com that he has received a letter from the player on his planned retirement, but says the GFA would try to convince him not to cut short his international career.

“We will talk to him after we have met on the matter this week. I don’t think retirement is an option now because he has still got so much to offer as a goalkeeper,” Nyantekyie told KickOffGhana.com. Adjei, second choice in the national team to Richard Kingson, says he is retiring from international football in order to concentrate on his club career and also afford younger Ghanaian goalkeepers the opportunity to come through the national team.

“There are many young Ghanaian goalkeepers who also very capable and I want to also give them the opportunity to serve our country.”

But the reason for his retirement does not convince the GFA boss.

“Our first choice goalkeeper Kingson is older and has been around for a longer period than Sammy, so I don’t know what giving younger goalkeepers a chance means.”

Adjei’s retirement came out of the blue, but it was little surprise to many observers of the team who have seen the former Hearts of Oak goalkeeper grow increasingly frustrated at losing his place as the country’s first choice goalkeeper.

It is a position he took over from Kingson after the 2000 Nations Cup. He was in post for all but one of Ghana’s World Cup qualifiers ahead of the 2006 tournament in Germany, but lost his place after a poor showing against South Korea in a warm up game.

Source: Kickoffghana.com

GFA denies Sammy Adjei’s retirement.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has denied media reports that Black Stars’ second string goalkeeper, Sammy Adjei has retired from international football. Randy Abbey, spokesman for the GFA said in Accra on Monday that the GFA had not been informed by the player or his agents about his retirement or intended retirement. He said as far as the GFA was concerned, Sammy Adjei was still a member of the senior national team and would be invited for national assignment where necessary. The GFA’s position is a far cry from media reports that the goalkeeper of Moadan Ashdod of Israel had announced his retirement from national assignment to concentrate on club duties. The report which purportedly emanated from an interview the player granted an Accra FM Station, Happy FM generated a lot of debate among soccer fans in Ghana with some of them citing discrimination against the goalkeeper by coach Claude Le Roy. Speculations are that with the GFA voting to retain Le Roy till 2010, the goalkeeper felt he would continue to sit on the bench as that has been the case since the arrival of the Frenchman. Sammy Adjei was the number one goalkeeper of the Black Stars from 2000 until he lost that position to Richard Kingson. Adjei was on duty at the 2000 and 2002 African Cup of Nations as the first choice goalkeeper for Ghana. -GNA