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 Mfum sure of victory against Hearts
Sunday’s outstanding twelfth week encounter between the two rival clubs, Fabulous Kumasi Asante Kotoko and relegation threatened Hearts of Oak, at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium has been seen by many soccer enthusiasts as a match that would be full of fireworks.
The match which was supposed to have been played on the 2nd day of March was postponed by the Ghana Football Association in conjunction with the Professional League Board in order to allow Hearts honour their second leg CAF Champions League match against their Gabonese counterpart, FC 105.
As the day for the cagey and uncompromising encounter draws nearer, virtually all Kotoko fans including both past and present management members are of the opinion that the technical bench has done well so far, and all what was left was for the players to go into the match and fight hard until the final whistle for victory.
One such prominent member of the Kotoko family who has added his voice to this assertion is former goal machine of the Black Stars and Porcupine Warriors, Wilberforce Kwadwo Mfum.
He is cocksure that considering the current crop of players in camp and their tremendous performance in the league as compared to the almost zero performance by their rivals, Kotoko would definitely be the winners come Sunday.
He has therefore called on the fans to remain calm in the face of unguarded statements by some phobia fans ahead of the match.
Mfum who featured prominently for Kotoko on several occasions against Hearts admitted that matches involving the two sides’ entails a lot.
According to him, “it is always purely psychological warfare and the side that gets their players mentally prepared most often come out victorious”.
He therefore has urged the players to be psychologically prepared for the game and cautioned against complacency as he believes “it is the only thing that can cause Kotoko’s downfall in that crucial match”.
“Kotoko are the favorites in this game. Their performance in the league confirms it. Moreover, the scoring rate of the team has been incredible. Aside Eric Bekoe who is currently on top of the goal king race, other players too can score as it did happen in their international friendly match against the Togolese Champions a fortnight ago”.
“I will however advice that, they shouldn’t be complacent about their performance. They must prepare their minds well for victory but nothing else” he stated.
Mfum, the former member of the P.V Obeng led Board of Directors has also advised the players to be disciplined and also avoid any misconduct that can disrupt their attention on the field.
He cited example of how indiscipline cost the team last season against Hearts leading to Kotoko’s defeat at the Robert Mensah Stadium.
Not a shy person when it comes to predicting the outcome of Kotoko-Hearts encounters, Mfum predicted a sweet and resounding victory for Kotoko on Sunday.
He was very optimistic that for the first time in about 15 years, the fabulous boys will travel all the way to beat their bitter rivals in a league match at their own backyard.
Though he was not specific in terms of the goal margin, it could be deduced from his continual reference that he was expecting more goals.
Commenting on security for the match, Mfum pointed out that the ultra-modern nature of the stadium was a big assurance that the match was going to end peacefully and successfully. He therefore urged the fans to troop to the stadium massively to fill the stands in their traditional red flags and cheer the players to victory.
By: Bernard Nyankomago
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