Don’t Just Discard Old Players – Karl Tufuoh

With barely three days to go for Ghana to play Sudan in the final Group I qualifier in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, the issue of whether Coach Goran Stevanovic has a clear plan for the Black Stars or not, has come under serious analysis following his choice of players to form the team from time to time. Tuesday’s edition of Sports Night on Multi TV’s Joy Sports channel, took an interesting turn when Ernest Koranteng sought the views of ace Sports analyst Karl Tufuoh and Albert Ababio on developments in the Black Stars camp ahead of the Cup of Nations. Karl “the truth” Tufuoh pointed out that Goran has a plan and that plan “is to win the nations cup” adding that since Ghana has already qualified for AFCON 2012, an opportunity should have been given to other promising players to be tested. “I would have thought that we would have focused more on a few newer players, blended with a few of the older players just to give some level of stability because at the end of the day we still don’t want to lose anyway” he said. He argued that this period should have been given to “the younger guys or the guys who have not played enough in the Black Stars to get a feel once again and let’s see what they can produce.” The biggest issue of concern to Karl Tufuoh was the fact that former first choice goalie, Richard Kingson, was dropped from the squad. According to him, no matter the criteria the coach used for his selection, it should have been done in such a way that there is harmony and continuity in the team, adding that Kingson could have been part of the team without necessarily being at post. “He needs to have players who have seen it all and done it all before. That’s why we don’t just discard old players” he cautioned.