Nigeria beat Ghana in 2000 AFCON quarter-final
Sammy Kuffour sacked from Black Stars camp
Former Black Stars defender, Samuel Osei Kuffour has recounted the terrible treatment he and his colleagues received during the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations in Mali.
Osei Kuffour revealed that the squad were made to eat roadside foods and slept at a low-standard hotel.
According to Kuffour, Michael Essien left the camp due to the dreadful situation.
"It was catastrophic. We were eating at the roadside. It was a terrible experience because we were eating at the roadside. We were the first team to get there and you would weep. It was very bad. In our first hotel, the toilet was close to the show. It was horrible. You can ask the players," he told Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV.
"No one has asked why Michael Essien left the team’s camp. We have to credit the FA now because now a lot of things are being provided. We didn’t even have t-shirts. I used to take money from the South African camp to our camp. We were going to the dining hall like students. I didn’t complain but they were looking for someone to blame. Ben Koufie apologized to me before he died," he added.
After one game, Kuffour joined the list of players who exited the team's camp due to the appalling treatment by the management committee.
He narrated that after Ghana's opening against Morocco, he called to check up on his wife, who had given birth. But management member, Cudjoe Fiano and head coach, Osam Duodo accused him of visiting the nightclub and sacked him as a results.
"After the Morocco game, I went out to call my wife who had just given birth in Germany. When I returned, Fianoo asked that I report to the management because they were looking for me. The report was that I had gone to the nightclub but where we were there was nothing. The moment I entered, my passport was on a table and there was a ticket plus an envelope. I asked them if they wanted me to return. It was Osam Duodo and Fianoo who were in the room. So I called the players and informed them of what had happened. By the time I got to the airport, the news was already in Germany so Bayern had a plane waiting for me. I flew back to Germany that same day. My coach asked if I could play and I said yes. It was an FA Cup match, we won 3-2 and I scored the winning goal."
Ghana was in Group B with Morocco, Burkina Faso, and South Africa. The Black Stars qualified for the quarter-finals by finishing second in the group.
A 1-0 defeat to West African rivals Nigeria sent Ghana packing.
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Former Black Stars defender, Samuel Osei Kuffour