Nana Oduro Sarfo, a member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council, has spoken out in defense of his recent comments regarding former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah.
Sarfo claims that he did not intend to be disrespectful towards Appiah, and that his words have been misconstrued.
Sarfo’s comments were made in response to remarks made by Appiah about football management in Ghana. Sarfo advised Appiah and other former footballers to improve their academic credentials if they wish to take on leadership roles in Ghana football.
In an exclusive interview with Happy FM, Sarfo expressed his disappointment with the way his comments have been reported in the media. He stated that he did not intend to disrespect Appiah, and that he had not even heard the full interview in which Appiah made his remarks.
Sarfo explained that he was simply advising former players to undergo training and acquire the necessary knowledge to run football affairs when they take on leadership roles. He also noted that the GFA had previously held discussions with Appiah regarding the affairs of the Black Stars.
Sarfo criticized journalists in Ghana for their reporting of his comments, stating that they were inaccurate and misleading.
” I’m extremely disappointed with the way journalists in the country have been able to misinterpret what I said. I didn’t say anything to disrespect Stephen Appiah. I haven’t even heard his interview, I just read a script of what he said during the interview he granted. My response to that was, such comments should not come from a person who has a good relationship with the FA like Stephen,” he told Joe Debrah on Happy FM.
“The FA has had discussions with him on affairs of the Black Stars. Speaking on running the administration of football by ex-players, I just advised that they undergo training to acquire the necessary knowledge to run affairs when they are in charge. Are these comments disrespectful? these comments were wrongly reported” he added.