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13.10.2005 Football News

Agra calls for Kufuor Inclusion

13.10.2005 LISTEN
By CUBAGEE(RADIO B.A.R-SUNYANI)

THE celebrations are still in full steam in the West African country of Ghana, which qualified for her first–ever World Cup finals in football on Saturday after more than four decades of playing in the qualifiers and winning four African Nations Cup titles.

But Wolanyo Agra, a former Secretary-General of the Ghana Football Association and professor of sports administration in the University of Legon, told news men in Abuja on Sunday that qualification has brought fresh problem and questions of which players would represent the country at the finals in Germany next summer.

Agra, also a FIFA and CAF match commissioner, said Serbian coach, Ratomir Dujkovic must realize that while a set of players had qualified the country, the need to do well in their debut means he must seek more experienced players of Ghana origin so the Black Stars would shine in Germany.

"I am happy that Ghana is reaching the World Cup finals for the first time. But we have to weigh certain questions and see how we can get better and more experienced players on the boat, so that Ghana are not disgraced in the finals in Germany", Agra said at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.

Ghana's Black Stars were ruthless in the finish, hammering Cape Verde 4-0 away on Saturday to finish five points ahead of South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who ended their match in Durban 2-2 same day.

Dujkovic, a former coach of Rwanda, excluded star defender Sammy Kuffour from the squad that eventually reached the finals, after the former Bayern Munich stalwart accused federation officials of lying concerning his availability for the qualifier away to Democratic Republic of Congo in March.

Kuffour tendered a public apology as demanded by the coach but he has not been taken back into the Black Stars.

"The coach must see the wisdom in fielding someone like Kuffour who is like a godfather to most of the players in the team, else they could create problems for him in Germany", added Agra.

There have also been suggestions for the recall of Emmanuel Kuffour, Otto Addo and other former stars.

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