GFA Denies Sammy Adjei’s Retirement

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has denied media reports that Black Stars’ second string goalkeeper, Sammy Adjei has retired from international football. Randy Abbey, spokesman for the GFA said in Accra on Monday that the GFA had not been informed by the player or his agents about his retirement or intended retirement. He said as far as the GFA was concerned, Sammy Adjei was still a member of the senior national team and would be invited for national assignment where necessary. The GFA’s position is a far cry from media reports that the goalkeeper of Moadan Ashdod of Israel had announced his retirement from national assignment to concentrate on club duties. The report which purportedly emanated from an interview the player granted an Accra FM Station, Happy FM generated a lot of debate among soccer fans in Ghana with some of them citing discrimination against the goalkeeper by coach Claude Le Roy. Speculations are that with the GFA voting to retain Le Roy till 2010, the goalkeeper felt he would continue to sit on the bench as that has been the case since the arrival of the Frenchman. Sammy Adjei was the number one goalkeeper of the Black Stars from 2000 until he lost that position to Richard Kingson. Adjei was on duty at the 2000 and 2002 African Cup of Nations as the first choice goalkeeper for Ghana.