Soccer News of Thursday, 17 February 2011

Source: Daily Guide

Herbert Addo: I'm Sorry

BELEAGUERED GHANA Coach Herbert Addo has rendered an unqualified apology to Ghanaians for the abysmal performance of his team at the ongoing CHAN tournament.

Ghana uncharacteristically got booted out of the CHAN tournament being hosted by Sudan, after losing all three games against South Africa, Zimbabwe and Niger.

Already connoisseurs of the game have put the blame of Ghana's poor showing right at the doorstep of Coach Addo, and even called for his immediate dismissal.

Reacting to the issue, Coach Addo said indeed he has disappointed the country for failing to keep his promise of guiding Ghana to improve upon its second placing in the maiden edition of the tournament in Cote d'Ivoire.

'I beg Ghanaians for letting the nation down,' he said with passion, noting that his prime target was to lead his team to a CHAN success but things did not go as planned.

The Aduana Stars trainer said some factors, beyond his control, contributed to the Black Stars' early exit from the competition, citing the lackadaisical attitude of some players as one factor.

According to him, some leading players of the team surprisingly displayed some strange behaviour and this, as a result, prevented the Ghana team from progressing to the knockout zone.

Aside this, he said, lack of ample time to train his players for the big tournament also proved disastrous for the Black Stars in a tournament which they were tipped as favourites.

Coach Addo has been criticized in the media lately for not being his own man with regard to the selection of his squad. Others also think he selected his favourites to represent the country, instead of choosing the best for the job.

But the Aduana Stars trainer flatly debunked both claims, insisting that his team was picked based on current form, commitment and hard work on the part of the selected players.

Information emanating from the corridors of the GFA is not pleasant for Coach Addo because rumours are rife that letter terminating his contract has been already drafted and it would be handed over to him on arrival.

Asked whether he would love to coach any Ghana national team again in future after the Sudan debacle, Coach Addo answered in the affirmative, saying, 'If I get the nod again I would grab it with open arms.'

Coach Addo however was quick to state that 'in my next assignment as national coach, I would consider player attitude as one of the factors for selecting my players'.