ON THE FUTURE OF THE BLACK STARS ON KASAPA RADIO IN LONDON

Former deputy skipper of The Black Stars Tony Yeboah, has called on all Ghanaians and Sports administrators in the country to give a free hand to coach Ratomir Dujkovic, the manager of the senior national soccer team The Black Stars, so that he steers the affairs of the team safely as he prepares them for the final crucial world cup qualify in Cape Verde. He said the focus of the manager should not be detracted as he is getting set for the final qualification match for both the African Cup of Nations and the World Cup scheduled to be held in Egypt and Germany in 2006 respectively.

Speaking to Micky Charles on Kasapa Radio in London, the ex-international soccer star hinted that the Black Stars have got to a point which demands all Ghanaians to cross their fingers and pray for the boys to sail through in their final encounter to secure the single slot in the group which will enable them to appear for the first time at the world soccer fiesta. When asked about the chances of the Stars, he emphatically said, ?The Stars will be at Germany 2006 and that Ghanaians should not put undue pressure on the team should they achieve that feat?.

In a reaction to a question why he has not put his expertise at the service of the state to improve the quality of the game after ?hanging his pair of boots?, he soberly said that the football authorities will not give the chance to the old stars to impact their rich experiences on the younger generation. When asked to assign reasons, Tony said that only the administrators know the answer. He even said that his contemporary Abedi Pele tried several times but the authorities will not listen to him. He also said he is now concentrating on his businesses especially the new Yegoala hotel and Nite club in Kumasi

On the possibility of staging a comeback should Ghana qualify for the world cup, Tony said that it is not possible, according to him if he wants to enter into competitive soccer again, he needs to embark on a strenuous training, a schedule which according to him will take him close to two years to recover his former self, by which time the world cup tournament might have been over. He stressed that it is not his wish to come back to the game. According to him, his only wish is that Ghanaians support the current Black Stars squad to achieve greater laurels for the nation.

Tony also briefly commented on the former Bayern Munich star, Samuel Osei-Kuffour?s issue with the handlers of the senior national soccer team, he suggested that the coach should look at the issue from the angle of ?father and son? relationship, so that the impasse can be resolved amicable. He argued that nobody should impose any player on the coach, but if the manager still thinks he needs Samuel Osei-Kuffour, who according to Yeboah ,the nation might still need his services in Germany, then he should find a way of roping him in into his squad.

Tony Yeboah also hinted that the world cup is only eight months away and some negative tendencies like injury and some players losing form are some of the likely issues that can plague the future of the Black Stars, so he suggested that the manager should widen his net to rope in more players so that he can have readily made materials always available to fall on when the need arises. On his part he said he would continue praying ceaselessly for the team to chalk greater success.