World Cup tag not enough for unfit Prince Tagoe at Chittagong Abahani

Chittagong Abahani wanted to give a surprise to the local fans by including a World Cupper, without assessing the present condition of Prince Tagoe, who has not been playing regularly in the last four years.

Prince Tagoe is still a star to follow in his country for being one of the members of the historical Ghana national team squad and also featuring in all three group stage matches in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa before being benched for the dramatic 2-1 defeat against Uruguay in the quarter-final.

But, nine years later, following his journey in Africa, Europe and Asia, Tagoe is in Bangladesh just for being a World Cupper, and his unfit status appeared a burden for his new side Chittagong Abahani Limited in the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup.

The port city outfit wanted to give a surprise to the local fans by including a World Cupper, without assessing the present condition of Tagoe, who has not been playing regularly in the last four years.

When he arrived in Chittagong two days before the meet, everyone in the team was surprised, but there was nothing to do but to include him in the squad because the registration deadline had already finished.

Out of six foreign players the 2015 champion brought in with the target to win the title again, it was only Tagoe who could not prove himself fit enough to play a single minute in the three group phase games.

“Tagoe arrived only a day before the tournament and doesn’t have the fitness required to start the game,” said Chittagong Abahani head coach Maruful Haque during the group round.

Tagoe, capped 36 times by Ghana, and scorer of seven goals, became the second World Cupper after Bashundhara Kings’ Costa Rican forward Daniel Colindres, who signed for a Bangladeshi club this millennium.

The 32-year old played for different clubs in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Israel, Tunisia and Germany, including TSG Hoffenheim.

A free agent in the last four years, he joined Turkish lower-tier side Isparta Davrazspor last season but didn’t play a game and is likely to leave his current club soon without playing a minute.