The story of how Sammy Kuffour was sacked from Ghana camp at 2002 AFCON
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The narrative around Sammy Kuffour’s dismissal from the Black Stars camp during the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations has been his supposed insubordination and indiscipline.
A night club experience is mentioned as the basis for the decision by the management of the team who opted to kick out the then Bayern Munich star.
But in his version of events in Mali, Sammy Kuffour recounts that he was a victim of unfairness and targeting by the then FA officials.
Sammy Kuffour explains on Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV that he got into the bad books of the management of the team after vetoed a decision by management for the players to watch another group game at the stadium.
The situation created a bad blood between him and the management as the FA capos then viewed him as the one scheming with the players against management.
The FA, according to Kuffour then plotted to oust him from camp by coming up with the nightclub theory.
He gave a narration of how his dismissal from the camp was communicated to him by Kudjoe Fianoo and Osam Duodu.
“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 night club but where we were there was nothing.
“The moment I entered, my passport was on a table and there was ticket plus envelope. I asked them if they wanted me to return. It was Osam Duodu and Fianoo who were in the room. So I called the players and informed them of what had happened, he said.
Sammy Kuffour said that before he could land in Ghana, news had reached Germany that he had been sacked from camp and there was a plane waiting for him.
“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 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,” he said.
Ghana performed poorly as they exited the competition at the quarter-final stage after losing 1-0 to Nigeria.
KPE