Football legend Rev. Osei Kofi of Ghana feels that former President John Mahama’s unfulfilled pledge to former football legends is the reason the Black Stars did not win the 2015 AFCON.
Osei Kofi blamed Ghana’s 2015 AFCON final defeat on the team’s disregard for its former football stars in an interview with Joy News.
The Asante Kotoko icon claims that former President John Mahama promised incentives to the teams that had won the AFCON in the past, but he never followed through on this promise and instead gave them tokens.
Can one compare a promise and a token? John Mahama would have won if he had kept his word, the man said.
“The five penalties, Ghana scored the first, and Ivory Coast missed. Ghana scored their second, and Ivory Coast missed. We needed one more goal to win the cup. Do you see what the token did for Ghana? The token took us to the final but we couldn’t win the cup,” he added.
The Black Stars reached the AFCON final nine years ago, narrowly losing to the Ivory Coast on penalties after a goalless draw in regulation and extra time.
Despite taking a two-goal lead during the penalty shootout, Ghana squandered the advantage as the Elephants rallied back to win 9-8 on penalties.
Osei Kofi, a renowned player from the 1960s, is considered one of Ghana’s greatest footballers.
The 82-year-old was instrumental in the Black Stars’ back-to-back AFCON titles in 1963 and 1965