Posted by Ghana and Bayern Munich legend Sammy Kuffour has in interview with Nathaniel Attoh on Joy Sports discussed a plethora of football related issues.
We take a look at the first part of his interview where he talks of his blunder at the 2006 World Cup, Stephen Appiah’s leadership qualities, Kurt Okraku’s administration, Asante Kotoko and his son’s football career
• On his mistake at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany
“I don’t regret my mistake. As a footballer why would you regret one bad game,” Kuffour stated on Joy FM.
“I was a professional so I wasn’t bothered because I had done so many mistakes in the past. Why should I still be thinking about it.”
“How many players scored an own goal at the World Cup, six, and one of them went on to win the World Cup. I remember Messi missed a penalty against Chelsea at a crucial stage in the Champions League, did Barca fans kill him?
• On Stephen Appiah’s leadership skill and Black Stars captainship
“Stephen [Appiah] was the captain. When we qualified to the World Cup in 2006, he never did anything behind me. He showed me respect because I was there before him and honestly, I never thought of being a captain because it is just a band,” Kuffour said.
“You show your leadership on the field of play. Let me give you a scenario here, during the 2014 World Cup, Messi was the captain for Argentina but you could see inspiration came from Mascherano.”
“Stephen was a leader, I loved the way he conducted himself in terms of leadership..”
• On Kurt Okraku’S GFA administration
“Kurt Okraku and his team are so far doing amazing. I can’t judge him now but will have to wait till after the season or after tournaments. They’ve been in charge for just a short time, and so far, so good”, he told Nathaniel Attoh
“It’s not been easy for everyone involved. But we just need to be united, and things will be fine”.
• On Asante Kotoko
“Well I think they should take Kotoko as a business, that’s the basic thing. Kotoko is an institute and you cannot handle Kotoko with anything, you have to handle Kotoko with care because people put their life on Kotoko,” he told Joy FM.
“And anything you ask my people, especially those in Kumasi, they will do it for Kotoko, if you say somebody should cut his head for Kotoko you will find somebody who will sacrifice for that.
“So Kotoko is not just like a normal club like probably Bechem United or whatever, it’s a totally different thing, without any disrespect to Bechem United but please Kotoko is a business and I know the people who are coming in are all business-minded so they won’t go to a different direction, if you want to handle Kotoko then you have to do it like a business.
“Everything you touch with Kotoko is gold and Dr [Kwame Kyei] knows, he is my neighbour. He knows that Kotoko now is a business, he knows from the beginning and he has to stick to that, its a business and they have to go in with a business plan,” he added.
• On his son’s football career and playing for Ghana
“I want him [junior] to choose what he wants to do. It depends on him [to choose the country he plays for] but my influence will play a major role. Yesterday we were just texting.
“I posted my picture of 20 years ago on my status. He said ‘daddy I have seen that picture’. It was Ghana against Cameroon in 2000. He told me ‘I would love to be in this jersey one day’. I told him that God willing, he will be there but he has to put an effort.
“He needs to work hard for it. He cannot get it on a silver platter because his dad is Sammy Kuffour. It doesn’t work like that. He said he understands.
“He can play in the midfield, he can play as a centre back so I watched him playing and I was really impressed. Don’t you think Abedi Pele is happy right now [seeing his children playing for Ghana]? I will be happy if it happens with mine”, he concluded.
We later take a look at the second and final part of the interview where he talks of the Black Stars captainship brouhaha prior to the AFCON in 2019, his toughest opponent, Alfonso Davies and many more…..