How Mahama cost Ghana AFCON title in 2015 - Rev. Osei Kofi details

Ghanaian football legend, Rev. Osei Kofi, has revealed that former President John Dramani Mahama did not fulfill a commitment he made to former AFCON-winning squads.

According to him, Mahama had promised to recognize the winners of the 1963, 1965, and 1978 tournaments, but this promise was not kept.

Rev. Osei Kofi attributes this failure to the Black Stars' loss in the 2015 African Cup of Nations final against Ivory Coast.

In an interview with Muftawu Nabila Abdulai on JoyNews, Rev. Osei expressed his dissatisfaction with the broken promise.

"Understanding a promise versus a token with a standard seven certificate. Are they comparable? Consider this scenario: we reached the finals against Ivory Coast, which came down to a five-penalty shootout. Listen carefully. John Mahama, his actions—if he had kept a promise. The first five penalties: Ghana scored the first, Ivory Coast missed theirs. Ghana scored again, Ivory Coast missed once more. Then, Ghana missed the next three. Just one goal was needed for victory.

"The token's impact on Ghana is evident. It propelled us to the finals. Yet, the token didn't secure the win. Discussing promises, they're distinctly different. Did they honor the old players? No. Mahama's wife's actions were merely symbolic. I've made it clear, 'Sir, I may not be a student, but I understand the difference between a promise and a token.'"

The discussion also shed light on the broader discontent among former Black Stars players regarding the government's lack of support and recognition.

Watch the video below:

If @JDMahama honoured the promises made to 1963, 1965, and 1978 AFCON winning teams, Ghana would have won the 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea.

His token to the players was the reason the team reached the final - Rev Osei Kofi pic.twitter.com/CGwBwl9fQz

— Muftawu Nabila Abdulai (@Muftawu_Nabila) July 9, 2024