GRi Sports Ghana 21 - 02 - 2001
Soccer-Coach Attuquayefio frustrated
Soccer-Ghana should not expect a miracle in
Sudan-Jones
Soccer-Coach
Attuquayefio frustrated
Accra (Greater Accra) 21 February
2001
Black Stars head coach, Jones
Attuquayefio, said on Wednesday that he is being frustrated by a last minute
disappointment of his foreign-based players to honour Sunday's crucial World
Cup qualifier against Sudan in Omdurman.
In a statement, the coach cited
club commitments and injury of his key players including skipper Charles
Akunnor who might not be available for the encounter.
In the case of Sam Johnson,
Attuquayefio said his (Johnson) Turkish club is prepared to release him only
after an "important" match on Saturday.
The Turkish club has promised a special
flight for Johnson to join his Ghanaian colleagues in Sudan the same day.
Those likely to join their local
counterparts for the trip are Emmanuel Duah, Stephen Appiah and goalkeeper
Richard Kingston.
"I have no option than to
rely on the locals who are ready and prepared to defend the flag of
Ghana", the coach said.
Due to the attitude of the
foreign-based players, coach Attuquayefio has augmented his local squad with
the inclusion three additional local players including Dan Quaye of Accra
Hearts of Oak and Sulley Muntari of Satellites fame.
Consequently the Stars' trip to
Ethiopia for acclimatisation before Sunday's match has been cancelled.
Ghana is in the same group with
Nigeria, Liberia, Sudan and Sierra Leone. Only the top team qualifies for the
Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup.
Liberia and Nigeria top the
four-team group with six points apiece but Liberia have better goals while
Ghana and Sudan and Sierra Leone follow in that order.
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Soccer-Ghana should not expect a miracle in
Sudan-Jones
Accra (Greater Accra) 21 February 2001
"Sir" Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, head coach of the senior national soccer team, Black Stars, has cautioned Ghanaians not to expect a win in Sudan since the team has not had enough preparation for the match.
Speaking with GNA Sports on Tuesday, the coach who was very candid on the chances of his team come Sunday, said he has done all he could to put his full squad in place on time to be able to have adequate training but that has not been possible.
"I am no magician nor an angel of doom but I am telling everybody what is on the ground so that nobody would have high hopes of us coming back with good results."
Ghana slipped from first to third position after suffering a 3-1 humiliation at hands of Liberia at the Accra Sports Stadium in their Group two encounter of the world Cup qualifying series which also includes Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Sudan.
"At the moment, I have only 13 local players in camp and I was expecting the foreign based players by yesterday but signals I am getting now indicate that most of them would not come down or will arrive late due to problems they are facing"
He said just this morning he received a fax from one club in Turkey saying would only release one of our key player's (name withheld) on Saturday after league match and then make special flight arrangements for him to join his colleagues on Sunday.
Coach Attuquayefio said his preference of the foreign base players over the local ones in the last match was not an error of judgement on his part, "selection is based on team's strategy for a match but it was unfortunate that things did not work out as planned".
The Black Stars have lost all their two matches since Jones Attuquayefio took over as head coach. He first lost 2-1 to Congo DR in Kinshasa and the 3-1 drubbing by the Lone Stars of Liberia make Sunday's match a break or win match if the country is to go further in the qualifying series.
On indiscipline in their camp, Jones said the word "indiscipline" is very broad in scope adding that on his part he thinks the players responded well to training for the Liberia match and there was no sign that they did not approve of his coaching techniques.
"If the problem was at the camp then either the Welfare Manager, Masseur or the Policemen who provided security did not do their jobs well."
"I need the full co-operation of everybody on my staff to perform his job assigned me effectively because it is only through team work that good results can be achieved".
On whether the country should withdraw from the current World Cup series since the course seems lost, Coach Attuquayefio replied in the negative, adding that before any good thing can be achieved one would have to go through difficult times but a good team should be able pull through.
The team leaves for Sunday's match on Wednesday.
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