Prosper Ogum narrates how family pressure forced him to quit football

Former Asante Kotoko head coach, Prosper Narteh Ogum has disclosed that he was pressured by his parents to quit professional football and focus on education during his childhood.

According to him, he started playing football at a very young age as a centre forward, impressing many people, including his mates, who nicknamed him “Ronaldo” and other popular footballers’ names.

He stated that he had aimed to pursue professional football after college, but that dream was thwarted when his mother opposed the idea and insisted he concentrate on education instead.

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“I think it is all about passion. It’s about the drive to do what makes me happy. As a child, I wanted to be a footballer. I was a centre forward.

“In secondary school, I was called Van Basten. At college, I was called Ronaldo. I wanted to be a professional footballer, but family pressure, especially from my mum, made me stop and focus on my education,” Ogum said while speaking on the GFA Podcast with Patrick Akoto.

Ogum began his coaching career by leading Elmina Sharks to qualification for the Division One League in 2013. He later had a brief spell with Ebusua Dwarfs before stepping away to pursue a PhD.

He has also coached Karela United and WAFA SC, where he guided the team to a third-place finish in the 2020/21 season. He went on to win the Ghana Premier League title with Asante Kotoko in the 2021/2022 campaign and was named Coach of the Season, as well as Ghana Football Awards Men’s Coach of the Year in 2022.

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