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 Baah-Nuakoh on the release of Eric Bekoe & Harrison Afful to Black Stars
By: Jerome Otchere
Posted: 6th June 2008
Director of Communications, Kwame Baah-Nuakoh, has explained that management have no choice but to release Harrison Afful and Eric Bekoe to the senior national, the Black Stars. The Stars play their Lesotho counterparts in the qualification group match of Angola 2010 in Bloemfontein, South Africa on Sunday.
Kwame told Kotoko Express that it was important for Kotoko supporters to accept the fact that management had to release the two players to the national team camp in spite of the equally important league matches.
Last Wednesday, Kotoko tasted their second defeat when they played way to R.T.U in Tamale without Harrison Afful and Eric Bekoe, who have gone on national duty in South Africa. Their absence was deeply felt.
Again on Sunday, Kotoko welcome their city rivals, King Faisal to the Baba Yara Stadium and once again, they shall be missing the services of Harrison Afful and Eric Bekoe.
Kotoko supporters have since been expressing worrying views on their release to the national team. Shortly after Wednesday’s game against R.T.U, members of Circle 15 of Tamale were seen in groups discussing Sunday’s match against King Faisal vis-à-vis the absence of Harrison Afful and Eric Bekoe.
The supporters’ contention was that although Kotoko had taken an excellent lead on the league table, it was imperative for the club to widen that lead. The supporters held that releasing key players to the Black Stars in course of league could effectively weaken the strength of the team and therefore give its opponents a better advantage to close in on them.
Kwame Baah-Nuakoh was quick to see wisdom in that argument. He however maintains that FIFA’s regulation which enjoins clubs to release players to their national teams in good time ahead of their national team matches, could not be trampled upon.
“In addition to that, management considered the chances of the two players in the Black Stars scheme of things emphasising that as national team assets, it was only proper that they were released on time to contribute to Ghana’s 2010 Africa-World Cup ambition”.
Kwame buttressed management’s stance by saying that Kotoko had equally competent players who could be good replacements in the absence of others.
A point Coach Bashir Hayford also made when commenting on the same issue in a separate interview. The Kotoko technical handler said he had adequate plans to make up for the absence of Eric Bekoe and Harrison Afful anytime.
“Every player at Kotoko at the moment is good. The point is that they all cannot play at the same time. That is why we registered more players”.
“When given the chance, every player will prove a point. There is no doubt the two players have been an important ingredient in Kotoko’s continuing successes this season. However, if the duo could miss Kotoko-Hearts and Kotoko-Kessben FC matches respectively with their colleagues carry on the team’s success to an appreciable extent, where lies the fear that Kotoko can not win without them?
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