Ex-Ghanaian footballer Prince Tagoe has revealed that the unity among players during his time with the Black Stars is missing from the current crop of players.
The Black Stars’ recent struggles have drawn harsh criticism from fans, with some perceiving a lack of commitment.
News of players failing to share a common goal continues to hang over the team, with rumours of cliques within the squad spreading widely.
For Tagoe, the unity in his generation was the key to their successes, something he believes is absent in the current team. Reflecting on his time with the Black Stars, Tagoe shared vivid memories.
“It was very good; we had one mind and a goal. Our aim and goal were to achieve something, and everybody’s mind and energy were focused on that,” he said.
He said this in an interview on Sports Desk on GhanaWeb TV.
The Black Stars have enjoyed numerous successes on African soil; however, one thing that has consistently hindered their progression is dressing room conflicts.
The most notable of these was Kwasi Appiah being stripped of the captaincy in 1992.
According to the “Prince of Goals,” their problems also began when Stephen Appiah was stripped of the captaincy.
“Where I feel the problem started was when Appiah was dropped as captain. Essien, Sulley Muntari, John Paintsil, and a lot of other players were active. If Stephen was no longer captain, we had the likes of Essien, Sulley, Gyan, Paintsil, and Laryea.
“But some officials decided to give the captaincy to Asamoah Gyan, which is not bad—he’s a very good striker—but for me, the timing was not right.
The reason is that Ghana has a lot of respect for Essien, and you can’t overlook Essien and give it to Gyan,” he added.
Tagoe also shared insights on what could have been done to prevent dressing room conflicts.
“In a captaincy hierarchy, we have the captain, the assistant, and the general. You could make Essien the general while Gyan could lead on the field because he was always playing and delivering results,” he further explained.
Prince Tagoe was part of the Black Stars team that became the third African side to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup. The team also enjoyed successive semi-final appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations. Tagoe made 36 appearances for the Black Stars, scoring seven goals.
Watch the full interview below:
Sports Check with Prince Tagoe: The fall of the Black Stars and captaincy brouhaha
FKA/OGB
