Interference caused Satellites' Downfall

Black Satellites coach; E.A Edusei has accused the management team of the national under-20 side of interference in his selection of players before the tournament. The coach who might have foresaw his expected sacking from the team said he was very confident with the locally based players he initially selected for the tournament; but the management team impressed upon him to include the four foreign based players; Derek Boateng, (who media reports described as the most outstanding player of the side), Sule Muntari, Patrick Villars and Razak Ibrahim on the premise that they were more experienced than the existing squad that he had worked with throughout the qualifying stage.

Speaking in an interview with a Kumasi-based radio station, Coach Edusei said, the home based players could have seen the country through if he was allowed to carry on his team preparations, but he had to bow to the intense pressure from officialdom.

The coach who said everything was fine with the team before they departed for the tournament is been blamed for the early exit of the team. Though many believe that the attitude of Coach Edusei is typical of all local coaches, the move by the alleged interference by the management team has also been condemned. Some say the coach should have voiced out his disapproval.

Ghana crushed out of the ongoing African Youth Cup in Burkina Faso after losing 2-3 to La Cote d’Ivoire in the final group match on Saturday. By the result, the Black Satellites would miss the FIFA World Youth Championship for only the second time since 1995.