Psychiatrist warns against allowing WAGS in camp

Psychiatrist at the Okomfo Anokye Hospital, Dr. Gordon Donnir, has kicked against suggestions to have Black Stars players take along their wives and girlfriends (WAGS) to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Several ex Ghana internationals including Stephen Appiah, Samuel Osei Kuffour and Augustine Arhinful have thrown their support behind the suggestion to officially regulate the visits of WAGS at the Black Stars camp during the tournament.

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshie has agreed to this norm which is widely practiced by leading national football sides including Spain and England.

And even though the Ghana FA claim they are not looking at such a proposal which was reportedly tabled by team psychologists Prof. J.K Mintah, the debate surges on.

But lead psychiatrist at the Kumasi-based Komfo Anokye Hospital says agreeing to this suggestion would prove counterproductive for the success of the team. “I will go back in time in biblical history; in the times of war, the soldiers didn’t take their wives to the battle field and it was for a purpose,” Dr. Donnir told Kumasi-based Ultimate Radio.

“It served the purpose of you being fully concentrated on the task and not to be distracted.

“When you become emotionally distracted, it also affects your energy, it affects your concentration and the moment you beginning to lose concentration – and all of us know the game of football dwells mostly on being focused as far as your concentration is concerned.

“And therefore the moment you begin to lose concentration you cannot focus on the game plan and you begin to make a lot of lapses and your opponent takes advantage of it.

“You have to understand that there are emotional needs of your significant other and they also want to experience certain things in the country that the football is going to be played.

“And all of these are going to be external pressures on your game plan so it leads to some but of distraction and the moment you are distracted – especially when it infringes on your emotion – then your focus becomes a problem.”

Ghana aim at going at least one better than their quarter final finish at this year’s World Cup in Brazil.

The Black Stars making its third successive appearance at the finals, will be facing a herculean task in Group G where they will come up against Germany, Portugal and USA.