I joined Hearts to get exposure - Kuffour

Immediate past skipper of the senior national team, the Black Stars, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour who for obvious reasons stayed off his club, Accra Hearts of Oak during the entire first round of the nation’s premier league has stated that he joined the Phobians from Ebusua Dwarfs to gain the needed exposure on the international scene.

Kuffour in a TV interview said he had served Dwarfs for over four seasons and needed to change clubs for more big time soccer. The player who contributed to Hearts’ African triumph said, since Hearts had qualified to play in the African Champions League, it was time to get the feel of such a tournament.

This was his reason why he failed to pitch for Hearts’ rivals and the team they walloped at the Accra Sports Stadium last Sunday 3-0, Kumasi Asante Kotoko. Sadly though, Kuffour never showed up during the first round of 2001/02 premier league season, which Hearts of Oak played unbeaten. His reasons for putting up a no show was due to his quest for international soccer, which has eluded his illustrious career.

Kuffuor’s desire of catching the foreign bang wagon has ever since proved unsuccessful. For now, he is a Hearts prodigy and hopes to consolidate his place among the Phobian family. Even though he’s missed the chance of getting into the Black Stars now under coach Millan Zivadinovic, he has hopes of making it into the team soon.

But Kuffour would not be happy, as his close pal, Princeton Owusu Ansah of Obuasi Goldfields who would be missing the premiership. Both players after the CAN 2002 shared the same vision of pursuing their soccer careers abroad but now, Princeton cannot feature in the domestic league as he missed the registration deadline.

Princeton would have to seek his fortunes abroad or sit down for the entire second round, a situation, which could hamper his dreams of playing for the Black Stars, as he will be inactive.

For now, Osei Kuffour, who says whenever he plays against Kotoko, he tries to score, has made a triumphant entry into the premiership by scoring his first goal against Kotoko in Sunday’s three-nil thrashing at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The game was the first between the two clubs at the Accra Sports Stadium since the May 9th Stadium tragedy, which claimed 126 lives.