Former Black Stars player Nii Odartey Lamptey has shared how former President Jerry John Rawlings played a crucial role in helping one of the national teams win a trophy in 1991.
According to Lamptey, the team, which included stars like Abedi Ayew Pele, had participated in an international tournament but performed poorly, failing to advance past the group stage.
Upon their return, there were discussions about dissolving the team. However, Rawlings intervened and instructed the team's management to keep the squad intact for a while.
Lamptey noted that this decision paid off when, in the next tournament in 1991, the team learned from their previous mistakes and went on to win the trophy, making the nation proud.
"In the 1989 tournament, our first game against Scotland ended in a goalless draw. We drew the second match and lost the last game, leading to our exit. When we returned home, former President Rawlings advised the management to keep the team together because we had performed decently and to prepare us for the next tournament.
"As a result, we worked hard and were able to win the trophy in 1991," he told Dan Kwaku Yeboah in Twi during the interview.
However, Lamptey did not specify which national team made this history, whether it was the Starlets, Black Meteors, or the Black Stars, nor did he mention the specific tournament.
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