Feature: Sellas Tetteh finds new 'magic' shirt at U20 World Cup

Published on: 08 July 2013
Feature: Sellas Tetteh finds new 'magic' shirt at U20 World Cup
The new lucky 'la coste' shirt of Sellas Tetteh

By Ameenu Shardow

He did it four years ago with a signature shirt and with a highly talented team. It now appears Sellas Tetteh is well on his way to doing it again but this time around with a different ‘magic’ shirt.

The former Rwanda coach has quickly abandoned the shirt he wore for Ghana’s first two games at this year’s U20 World Cup in Turkey which ended in defeats.

He is nowadays spotting a more colourful ‘la coste’ shirt – one he started wearing when the Black Satellites crashed USA 4-1 in Ghana’s final group game which helped the team qualify for the first knockout round.

For those who don’t know, coach Sellas Tetteh is very religious, superstitious and philosophical to the extent he is very careful with what he wears on matchdays.

An over-joyed Sellas Tetteh in his brown shirt back in 2009
An over-joyed Sellas Tetteh in his brown shirt back in 2009
Four years ago, it was an executive brown shirt with the sleeves folded just above the elbow and a gold chain with a ball crown to match.

It did the trick, Ghana won a historical U20 World Cup – Africa’s first in Egypt.

Four years on, it was another executive shirt, this time blue, sleeves folded, the same gold chain but a disastrous result in Ghana’s opening game against France.

A 3-1 defeat to Les Bleuets was not the script many had in mind considering Ghana’s rich history in this competition.

He didn’t lose hope, Tetteh donned the same shirt in Ghana’s second game and alas, another defeat to Spain albeit with a vastly improved team. It was time to change something, something very important to the giant soft-spoken figure.

I remember interviewing Tetteh back in 2009 after the team had returned with the trophy over his choice of clothes at the World Cup and he made particular reference to the shirt.

“It is my lucky shirt and we always win when I wear it so the more I wore it, the more we won,” he said.

Need I say more about the importance of a shirt?

Tetteh had to abandone and stay away from this shirt after Ghana's disastrous start at the World Cup
Tetteh had to abandon and stay away from this shirt after Ghana's disastrous start at the World Cup
Just like Zambia coach Renard Herve spotting his favourite white Hollywood shirt in the Chipolopolo’s surge to African Cup of Nations triumph in 2012.

I don’t see him wearing the same shirt nowadays, probably the reason why the team has been so useless of late.

Maybe I am blowing things out of proportion but the fact remains that Ghana has not lost a game at the 2013 U20 World Cup with Sellas Tetteh wearing his colourful ‘la coste’ shirt.

Perhaps the French team should organize for its theft or something because per the facts on the ground and of course per the team’s significant improvement rate, they are on their way out of the competition.

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