Ghana FA technical director Francis Oti Akenteng has rubbished claims by Awudu Issaka that spiritual assistance from a pastor was the cause of the Black Starlets winning the U17 World Cup in 1995.
Akenteng, who was the assistant coach when Ghana's U17 side annexed the World Cup trophy in Ecuador, admits that the squad visited his pastor but played down the role of the prayer in the title success.
The current technical director of the GFA says apart from prayers from different quarters, the commitment of players and tactical preparation of the coaching staff led by Sam Arday helped the side to victory.
“Yes Awudu is right, we visited Pastor Isaac Acquah before we departed for Ecuador. He prayed for us! I led the team there because that’s where I fellowship and I’d faith and believe in the man-of-God.” Akenteng told Boss FM.
“He assured us of World Cup success but we also knew how to pray and so we did and we also put in hard-work into the competition and that also contributed to the success we chalked but not because the pastor prayed or prophesized we won,” he added.
The claim by Issaka, a key member of the Ghana squad, went to enforce the view held by many that Ghanaian players use black magic to steer their teams and careers in football in the wake of the claim by a spiritualist that Rashid Sumaila jinxed Jerry Akaminko.