Osei Kuffour Says It All

AshGold?s new recruit Emmanuel Osei Kuffour granted interview to AshGold in Focus at the club?s secretariat on Sunday 26th June 2005. These are excerpts of the interview:

Ashgold in Focus: Good day General and welcome to the golden city, Obuasi. O/K: Thank you.

AshGold in Focus: How is your stay in Obuasi?

O/K: Well Obuasi is not as big as Accra and Kumasi but what is important is for me to achieve my aim of coming to this town. As you are aware I have come to Obuasi to play for AshantiGold, to help them achieve their aim of qualifying to Africa and that is paramount and supersedes the beauty and size of the town.

AshGold in Focus: Could you brief me about yourself?

O/K: I come from Mampong Nsuta in the Ashanti Region. I was born and brought up in Accra. My parents are Mr. Osei Assibey and Madam Mary Serwaah Agyei. I have a wife and a kid. Watching movies and playing soccer are my hobbies. AshGold in Focus: How did you join AshantiGold?

O/K: After my return from Iran, I had a month contract with Accra Hearts of Oak but wanted to change club. I discussed it with my employers and they agreed. AshantiGold approached me in a more professional manner that I opted to play for them. They also spoke to Hearts and a smooth transaction was carried out for my release. I chose AshGold though a lot of offers had come from other clubs but I thought AshGold was a true professional club I could join and I have no regrets whatsoever joining the yellow and black family. They have abundance of young talents and with time AshGold will be a team to beat in the country if the authorities groom the players together for a longer period.

AshGold in Focus: How do you see Ashgold?

O/K: As I indicated earlier AshGold has abundance of young talents but some of the players are inexperienced. This has necessitated the management of AshGold to render our services to blend with the young ones in order for us to impact our experience on them. One can also talk of the facilities like good training pitches, excellent medical care, proper accommodation, prompt payment of salaries and bonuses, latest gym facilities, good traveling bus and other things that place AshGold on top compared to other clubs on the continent. In terms of performance, AshGold for sometime now has not lived up to expectation just because they solely relied on the academy players whose strengths do not match with the physique of other players in other clubs. The level of soccer in the country is so high and it needs players who are physically and mentally sound to play.

AshGold in Focus: How did you find your first league match against Feyenoord?

O/K: It was a nice match by all standards. Feyenoord are tactically sound and physically fit but they were fortunate they did not go down by a higher margin. I thank God we won the match to at least appease our disappointed fans.

AshGold in Focus: A couple of experienced players in the likes of Joe Hendricks, George Owu and yourself have been recruited to help AshGold. How are you going to work together to achieve results for AshGold?

O/K: One should not forget that AshGold has some experienced players like skipper Kofi Amoako, Tony Baffoe, Ofosu Amoah and others. We have been collectively assigned a Herculean task to help AshGold qualify for Africa. No team can write us off considering our current position on the league table. We have about twenty matches to go. What I can say is that the players of AshGold should work together to make this mission a reality.

AshGold in Focus: How do you see AshGold fans?

O/K: Before I joined AshGold, I thought the team has a number of followers but my observation has proved me wrong. I have not seen the fans troop to the Stadium in their numbers to cheer the players. I don?t know what is happening but I will urge them to stay united and rally behind the team whatever the circumstances might be. That is the work of a genuine supporter. I want to see them in their numbers whenever the team plays at the Len Clay and also when we travel outside Obuasi. They should also patronize AshGold souvenirs in order to generate funds to the club as done in Europe.

AshGold in Focus: What should the fans also expect from you?

O/K: What I can assure the fans is to help AshGold qualify for Africa. Nothing is impossible. All what we need is encouragement and prayers from the supporters. The team will be stronger if we are able to get the services of the injured players to beef up the squad.

AshGold in Focus: For how long will you play active soccer?

O/K: I have a number of years ahead to play actively. Odartey Lamptey and others who started playing before I did are still playing active soccer.

AshGold in Focus: What are your plans after quitting soccer?

O/K: I think I will enter into business and stay together with my family. AshGold in Focus: How did you see the match between AshGold and your former club Hearts of Oak that ended 0-1 in favour of Hearts?

O/K: It was a nice match in deed. We created a number of scoring chances but soccer is sometimes unpredictable. We opened the score line through Matthew Attiogbe but the referee disallowed the goal for his own personal reasons. For me I think the referee did not live up to expectation. You could count the number of yellow cards he issued. Mubarak Wakasu was the worst culprit for attracting a red card that made us play at a numerical disadvantage. The defenders of Hearts were whacking us yet the referee saw anything wrong with that. It was disappointing performance on the part of the referee. All the same we played a determined game and if we are to play like that we could cause surprises both home and away.

AshGold in Focus: Could you predict the league match between Ashgold and Kade Hotspurs at the Len Clay Stadium?

O/K: They should be ready to succumb to a determined side. We will go all out to bang in the goals.

AshGold in Focus: It has been nice chatting with you. O/K: You are always welcome and a pleasure talking with you.