Kuffuor reveals Abedi-Yeboah rift

Kuffuor played in two generations Bayern Munich legend Sammy Kuffuor has blown the lid off a 16-year-old secret insisting that the Abedi Pele-Anthony Yeboah leadership rift affected the Ghana national team in the 1990s.

Kuffuor is the first member of the 1990s squad to have come out publicly to confirm the wide crack between the two superstars that plagued the Black Stars in that generation.

There was intense media speculation about leadership fissure during the 1994 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia but both players have consistently denied it saying their wives are friends.

Several squad members have previously denied the rift but Kuffuor says even though there was unity Abedi was not a good leader and attempts were made to outst him.

"There was unity but everyone wanted to be a leader," Kuffour said on national television.

"Abedi is a great footballer by all standards. He was my captain and I respect him. But he was not a great leader."

Kuffuor revealed that he turned down the Black Stars captaincy just before the 2002 African Cup of Nations because he wanted to avoid a rift with C.K. Akonnor.

Akunnor was left out of coach Osam Duodo's team for the tournament in Mali but says he turned it down because the then GFA boss Ben Koufie and board member Abedi Pele did not handle the issue well.

"I didn't accept it because I didn't want to betray anyone," Kuffuor said.

"Ben Koufie and Abedi Pele called me over the decision. But I asked if they had spoken to C.K. (Charles Akonnor).

"C.K. was a close friend. I wanted to be clear if the right thing had been done."

"The captain band is nothing. The band is different from being a captain. You have to have those qualities to do the job."