I am enjoying my football again – Inkoom opens up

After a torrid time with FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the Ukrainian premier league, Ghana defender Samuel Inkoom in an exclusive interview with 90 MINUTES says he is currently enjoying football after his deadline-day move to Sporting Club de Bastia in the French top flight.

After a couple of appearances for the side from the island of Corsica, the former Asante Kotoko fan favourite is suddenly enjoying his football again.

Little surprise then that Bastia vice captain Jérôme Rothen applauded the Ghanaian’s work ethic and commitment after the latter helped Bastia to thrash Brest 4-0 a fortnight ago. He said in an interview: “We played well and we are not surprised we won the game convincingly. Inkoom was great and he is doing so well since joining us. He works very hard in training and on match days too. His performance today puts him up as a possible candidate for a possible start in upcoming games.”

These are excerpts from the exclusive interview 90 MINUTES had with Samuel Inkoom.

Question: Hi Samuel Inkoom, you look extremely happy… . INKOOM: (Smiles) Thanks for this opportunity you guys have given me. Well, I must be honest I am very happy now because I am finally enjoying playing football again. As you are aware, I had a couple of football related problems at Dnipro. I really wouldn’t want to get so much into what the problems were but like I said, the move to join Bastia on loan was a good decision.

Q: So why Ligue1?

INKOOM: I chose France because it houses some of the powerful sides in European football. They have PSG, Olympique Lyonnais, Olympique Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille and others. I came here solely for footballing reasons and I have no regrets with the move thus far. When you play a league with the likes of David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovi?, Thiago Silva, André Ayew, Bafetimbi Gomis and the rest, you definitely know you are going to play against the best. I can go on and on and on but the bottom line is that this league has it all.

Q: So how is life in Bastia?

INKOOM: Fantastic! I’m surprised at how easy I’ve been able to settle here (Bastia). I came here on transfer deadline day but I’ve been received with so much love from the president down to the coach and the entire playing body. The fans of this club are also amazing. They follow FC Bastia with so much passion which you see mostly with the clubs in the English Premiership.

Q: Essien once played at Bastia. What legacy did he leave there?

INKOOM: A huge one. They adore him and I am very proud knowing what he did here. He’s a hero here and I hope to leave here one day as a hero too.

Q: Are you going to extend your stay with Bastia? INKOOM: That’s a difficult question to answer now because we are all concentrated on getting a better placing in the league. When the season is over all the parties concerned will evaluate the situation in order to guide us on our next action. But I like the club nevertheless.

Q: Tottenham were knocked out of the Europa League last Thursday after a penalty shootout defeat to your former club FC Basel. Do you sometimes miss playing in Europe?

INKOOM: Well, I watched the game and I was so excited and happy for them. I knew most of the players who played in the game which also brought me good memories from my time there. But such is life, we all aspire to play for the biggest clubs in the world and I am still on that track to play for a side that will make me win a Champions League medal. FC Basel will play Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Europa League and I hope they make it to the final.

Q: Do you have regrets leaving FC Basel?

INKOOM: Not at all! It was a learning curve for me as a professional player. I left Kotoko after a wonderful time there to play professional football in Europe. It wasn’t easy but I worked hard to leave a legacy as one of their best ever right-backs. I am proud of what I did and they are also happy with what I did during my time there. I still have an excellent relationship with the club though.

Q: There are reports back home that, your relationship with the authorities of the GFA has deteriorated…

INKOOM: Really? Well I have no idea but I hope it’s not the case. To the best of my knowledge, I know there is a good rapport between the two parties so all I can do is to work hard here and see what happens.

Q: You have been out of the national side for some time now…

INKOOM: Well it is a very delicate matter that I wouldn’t want to go into, but if I have been left out for a couple of games I believe it could be for footballing reasons. With me playing now at Bastia, I believe a return to the side will be on course.

Q: What are your impressions about Ghana’s chances of participating in the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil?

INKOOM: I know we will make it to Brazil. It hasn’t been an easy ride for the team but I am very confident of our progress to the World Cup. We have to win all the remaining games and that’s the only guarantee. Win all the remaining games and you are in Brazil! It’s very much possible.

Q: Your final words for your fans.

INKOOM: I want to thank God for bringing me this far. Secondly, I want to thank all for the support given to me through these years of hard work and sacrifice in my playing career. I know with God, all things are possible.