A former Black Stars player George Alhassan, a member of the 1978-1982 AFCON-winning team, has revealed how some of his teammates cursed the national team after winning the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Libya. Alhassan recounted the team’s visit to JJ Rawlings’ house, expecting a gesture of appreciation but receiving only a salute.
“When we went there, he just said there is nothing he can do for us, only salute. So he gave us a salute and thanked us and then we left,” Alhassan revealed. Before boarding the bus, discontent brewed among players, expressing dissatisfaction with the former head of state’s lack of encouragement. Alhassan shared, “Most of them were saying Ye b3 wh3 kwan a omo be faso a omo b3 fa cup no biom (We will see how they will ever win another cup).”
Alarming as it may seem, the same players who uttered these words faced an unexpected turn of events during the next tournament in Cote d’Ivoire. Alhassan suggested, “We have already cursed ourselves before going to play, so how would you win the cup? You cannot.”
However, Veteran Sports Journalist Ken Bediako dismissed the notion of a curse, attributing it to an unfortunate coincidence. Bediako stated, “I am not that superstitious. I think we have grown past those spiritual things.”
Adding a different perspective, Mohammed Polo, another member of the 1978 AFCON–winning team, emphasized personal responsibility.
Polo asserted, “I don’t believe that somebody is hindering you from achieving your goal, because everybody has his time. But that doesn’t stop your achievement. You also have to go through your process that will help you. If you don’t help yourself… they are not helping themselves. Because It is the selfishness of monetary issues.. And you are making money. You are making money, why can’t you perform?”
This revelation raises questions about the impact of superstition and belief systems on the Black Stars’ subsequent performance, sparking debates on the influence of external factors on sporting success.