Black stars need divine intervention

…To Succeed in Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup

Jones Attuquayefio, C.K. Gyamfi Say:

Two celebrated Ghanaian coaches of international repute, Cecil Jones Attuquayefio and Nana Kumi Gyamfi (known in private life as Mr. C. K. Gyamfi) have made a passionate appeal to Churches, prayer warriors and other religious bodies to pray for the Black Stars to enable the team go far in the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil in June/July, 2014.

In separate interviews with the Christian Messenger at their respective homes in Accra, they contended that the task before Ghana seems herculean and therefore aside technical preparations, the team needs God’s intervention for it to sail through the group stage and go very far in the tournament.

‘SIR’ CECIL JONES ATTUQUAYEFIO

Mr. Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, who earned the nickname ‘Sir Jones’ from The Mirror for his great exploits with the Black Stars in the 1960s and 70s, said the World Cup tournament is a prestigious stage for nations to make their mark, and so the preparations should not be left to only the Football Association and the national team handlers.

With his strong belief in the biblical injunction: “As iron sharpens another, so one man sharpens another” (Prov. 27:17), Sir Jones urged all believers, particularly, the Christian community to “join hands in praying for the Black Stars to succeed at the Brazil 2014 World Cup.”

He lauded the Ghanaian spiritual mentality, especially that of “our footballers, who in interviews on air or in print assert that with God all things are possible. Before a match, these players would always ask Ghanaians to pray for them.” According to Sir Jones, he always feels excited and proud whenever these local players ascribe their successes or victories to God after crucial matches or tournaments.

“As we rally prayer support for the Black Stars, I appeal to the players and their handlers not to down play the place of divine intervention in the task ahead, and therefore step up their spiritual preparation for God to grant them success,” he stressed, adding “Indeed ‘with God all things are possible’.”

Technical Preparations

Touching on technical preparation, Coach Attuquayefio said he has confidence in the on-going preparations for the Brazil World Cup.

“In such tough assignments, before a coach would succeed, he must first take a thorough assessment of his opponents to ascertain whether they have a competitive advantage over his team. You must have an idea of whether your opponents are a bit stronger than your team, and if yes, you map out a strategy to counter the threats,” Jones averred.

In his view, “You don’t approach such big tournaments lying low or being complacent. So the Team must step up its total preparations for the tournament.” It would be recalled that, Jones Attuquayefio was adjudged CAF’s Best African Coach for the year 2000, after leading Accra Hearts of Oak to win the CAF double; Champions League Cup (2000) and the Super Champions Cup (2001). In 2004, he again led Hearts to win the first CAF Confederation Cup competition to become the first African Coach to win all three CAF clubs competitions with the same club.

Commenting on the technical capacity of the players, Sir Jones said when players are selected for such big competitions “they accept the opportunity with both hands and strive to take the big platform by storm like players who are hungry for success or want to make history.”

Mr. Attuquayefio advised players who may not make the final squad for Brazil 2014 to see the assignment as about Mother Ghana and not about individual interests.

“Anybody called is representing Mother Ghana, so we must all lend them our total support. Every one can’t be there; we need only 23 players. In fact, Brazil 2014 would not be the end of World Cup tournaments. So, ‘God’s time is the best’,” Jones pleaded.

The celebrated Coach however noted that, to help eliminate or minimize negative reactions and ill feelings about team selection, the Technical Team must chose only the best material for the tournament.

Foreign Technical Director

Asked whether Ghana needs a foreign technical advisor for the Brazil 2014 soccer fiesta, Mr. Jones Attuquayefio replied in the negative. “Unless the Head Coach specifically requests for that, I am opposed to the hiring of a foreign technical director or advisor for the Team. Firstly, it is too late in the day. We don’t need any foreign hand at this eleventh hour. My reason is that, since it is Ghanaian brains and not foreigners, who are scouting our opponents; why bring in a foreigner to advise the local handlers?

“Now, at such crucial tournaments, the Head Coach must stamp his authority, enforce team discipline and ably manage or control the team, so the presence of a foreign technical director in the squad may undermine the authority of the local manager and the respect the players have for him,” Sir Jones yelled. The former Black Stars coach and former Accra Great Olympics player expressed his confidence in the national team for the Brazil World Cup campaign.

“Without doubt, all our big stars ply their trade abroad and have had the opportunity to rob shoulders at club levels with most of the foreign players who would compete with them at Brazil 2014,” adding, “They only need to build on their confidence level to be able to square it up with whichever opponent they face at the FIFA tournament.” He reminded his good friend, James Kwasi Appiah of his enviable record as the first local coach to qualify Ghana for the FIFA senior team World Cup and that this was possible not only because of his technical ability and the support of the GFA but also by the grace of God. “Coach Appiah and the FA should approach the upcoming World Cup finals being mindful of how they did it in the qualifying series. They should remember that it was God who opened the door of success for Coach Appiah and his team, so they should continue to count on Jehovah God to grant the Ghana team more successes, particularly at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.”

NANA KUMI GYAMFI

Nana Kumi Gyamfi (popularly known as Coach C.K. Gyamfi) told the Christian Messenger that even in his old age he still has a great passion for the Black Stars team and would therefore offer them his prayer support as they defend the National Flag in Brazil.

“We the former players and coaches of the Black Stars must commit ourselves to Ghana’s participation in any given tournament. The team needs our moral and prayer support. Let’s pray for God’s intervention, particularly as the boys are now faced with a huge task that requires more than just a human strength or ability to overcome,” he said.

C.K. Gyamfi, now in his late 80’s is the only Ghanaian Coach to have led the Black Stars to win the Africa Nations Cup three times (1963, 1965 and 1982) out of the total four wins.

“It is the practice of most Ghanaians to pray for our national teams when they participate in big tournaments, so I would appeal to all and sundry to continue praying for the Black Stars for success in Brazil. Prayer is vital in all human endeavours”, Nana Gyamfi noted.

He argued that even though quality training and hard work are quintessential to a team’s success, it is divine intervention that ‘helps us surmount the insurmountable task’. The distinguished former national player and coach suggested the inclusion of a ‘Chaplain’ in the squad to Brazil in an unofficial capacity as the Brazilians had been doing. FIFA frowns on explicit promotion of religion during such tournaments.

“You see, aside the technical handlers, an ideal team also needs the services of three other key functionaries. You need a Psychologist to psyche up the team. A Chaplain would help with issues of faith and trust in God’s power and authority. Prayers can boost up the flagging courage of a team to overcome daunting obstacles. The other functionary is an Entertainer or jokes cracker, to help ease tensions with a wide variety of amusements,” Nana Gyamfi opined. The retired Ghanaian international and former Asante Kotoko and Hearts player, recalled an experience when Ghana played Egypt in a crucial match in the 1960s. “In that high profile game, we travelled with a Christian Chaplain and we won convincingly; trouncing the Pharaohs of Egypt on home soil.”

Nana Kumi Gyamfi, who is a retired FIFA/CAF Technical Instructor, warned the players and their handlers to be wary of Mallams and juju men who may pop up ostensibly to help the team.

“Juju should be completely out. During my playing days with the national team in the 1950s, we tried juju but never got favourable results. Before big matches, a juju man would be imposed on the team and we lost all those matches. When I became the national team coach, I reoriented the boys to abandon black magic as we resorted to the Almighty God for help. Bet me, we started winning our games,” he explained.

Coach ‘C.K.” Gyamfi said he was aware that the ‘God factor’ he introduced in match preparations in the 1960s had been adopted by many clubs and the national teams. “I know that the Team handlers make time for prayers during training and crucial matches. I urge them to intensify this exercise so that Ghana can succeed in the World Cup tournament.”

Final Advice

Nana advised Coach Kwasi Appiah to take full charge of the team in order to maintain discipline and whip in line players who may exhibit big egos and pride. “A coach must not show favouritism or be harsh on his players. He must be fair and firm. First, let the players see the big picture of the arduous task before them. Let them know that the hurdle can be overcome only by hard work and discipline, and if your players adapt to this cause, then you are on the way to success,” he stressed.

C.K. Gyamfi who was the only black man to be at the helm of a national team at the 1963 Africa Nations Cup tournament held in Accra, Ghana, charged the technical handlers to be bold to bench lazy and indiscipline players, and if possible should not include these ‘bad nuts’ in the squad for Brazil 2014. He wished the Ghana Team all the best and assured them of his prayers back home.

FIFA 2014 World Cup

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be staged in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July. Ghana is one of the five African nations that have qualified for the 32-nation competition. Ghana is drawn in a group described by football pundits as the “Group of Death”, which also include three-time winners Germany, Portugal and the USA.

The Black Stars are in their third consecutive appearance at the World Cup. In Germany 2006, Ghana was the only African nation to manage it to the second round of the competition (Round of 16). In South Africa 2010, the Black Stars upped their performance to become the only African team to reach the Quarterfinals. But for Uruguay Luis Suarez’s ‘hand of the devil’, Ghana would have made history as the first African nation to reach the Semi-finals.

In the view of many sports analysts, ‘Group G’ is a herculean hurdle for Ghana to brace through; and that explains why the two eminent coaches; Jones Attuquayefio and Nana Kumi Gyamfi are calling on Ghanaians to pray for a divine intervention for the Black Stars to succeed.

Writer’s email: fjbotchway@yahoo.com