Posted by Aduana Stars striker Yahaya Mohammed has expressed his disappointment and called on veteran Ghanaian coach JE Sarpong to apologize for defamatory comments he recently made against local footballers.
JE Sarpong recently revealed that 60% of local footballers smoke marijuana (weed), he went on to add that there was an instance he once bought marijuana for a player prior to a big game.
“I can say that 60% of the Ghanaian players, both in the Premier and the Division One Leagues smoke marijuana,” Sarpong told Angel FM.
“I have coached most of them, but of course we have something called coach-player relationship.
“There was a match between Accra Great Olympics and Hearts of Oak. One player came to me and said I should buy him ‘weed’ and we will win the match.
“I later noticed that he was not the only person, he was sent by his colleagues. I told him, I can’t buy for him, so I gave him the money and in that game he was the man of the match. He gave the assist for our winning goal.
“It is a bad practice but if it will win the match [for me], I don’t mind. If my team win the match, I take my winning bonus [as a coach] and I’m gone.
“What I will do for my team to win is what is important.”
However, the comments from JE Sarpong hasn’t gone down well with Yahya Mohammed. The Aduana striker has called on the veteran manager to apologize and retract his statement.
“Coach JE Sarpong must apologise to Ghanaian players. It is time for people to tell the truth to some people like him,” Yahaya told Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM.
“His comments that about 60% of Ghanaian players smoke weed are very bad.
“I don’t smoke but look at the people he has coached, like Asamoah Gyan and others.
“Does he know the 60 percent of 100 players? It is a false statement and he should retract the statement.”
Yahaya Mohammed also in a different interview with Angel FM called on JE Sarpong to mention the players involve in the act.
“I challenge Coach Sarpong to come out to mention names of players he claim they smoke weed because he has disgraced Premier league players by passing that comment,” he told Angel FM.
“Sponsors will not come on board to sponsor the Ghana League if people like Coach Sarpong makes such “wee” comments about players in the Ghana Premier League.
He added, “We are making the job difficult for the GFA president. If Coach J.E Sarpong has Ghana football at heart, he will suggest that the GFA to start doping test to check if indeed there are players who smoke marijuana.”
Yahaya Mohammed is the second top scorer in the Premier League this season and was named in Ghana’s 23-man squad for a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations double-header qualifier against Sudan which was later postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.