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African Nations Cup: Can Ghana’s Michael Essien Perform In The Absence Of ‘Soul Brother’ Sulley Muntari?
Can the Bison find the motivation to lead Ghana in the absence of his bosom friend? Goal.com's Lolade Adewuyi investigates.....
10-Jan-2010 11:45:00 PM
Michael Essien is a lonely man at the moment. The new Ghana captain will be playing his first major international competition in almost ten years without the company of his best friend Sulley Muntari, who was dropped from the Black Stars squad due to disciplinary issues.
Muntari had led a trio of players to withdraw from the Ghana friendly against Angola in November without permission. The three players that included Essien and Asamoah Gyan were fined €3, 400 and were asked to tender an apology.
The Inter midfielder had refused to comply with the Ghana Football Association’s directives and was said to have turned down overtures to meet with coach Milovan Rajevac during the coach’s tour of Italy. Hence, Muntari was dropped from the national team for the Nations Cup tournament.
In a swift reaction, Essien had tried to make a case for his friend by writing an open letter to the GFA stating that Ghana needed the services of the midfielder to succeed in a tough AFCON group that includes Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo.
“Sulley Muntari is a world class player and has obviously gained a lot of experience from playing in Europe” the Chelsea midfielder had written. “We are in one of the toughest groups this January and it is very important we go with all our experienced and valuable players to win the cup and prepare for the World Cup.
“Three players didn't show up in Angola for the recent friendly and we have been embarrassed and punished for this. However, I wonder why Muntari has been the only one excluded from the team.”
The duo, who have been reputed to share many things in common, are as inseparable as Siamese twins. They always share rooms whenever they are in the Black Stars’ camp and seldom go out, staying indoors and having fun on their PlayStation.
Sellas Tetteh, coach of the Ghana U-20 team, told me recently that both players have been very close since being part of the silver-winning U-20 team of Argentina 2001. Both players were part of the youth set-up of Accra’s Liberty Professionals even though they played at different times but Tetteh believes that it was the common background which they shared that helped them forge a close relationship.
Essien, who lost his only brother at childhood, seemed to have found a brother on the field in Muntari and they have carried their friendship from the youth team into the senior Ghana team staying true to each other all this time.
Even though Muntari has refuted the claims of being an ‘Essien clone’, it is popularly held that it was the unavailability of Michael that made Jose Mourinho move to get him to play in his Inter midfield. "We're friends, almost brothers” he said about Essien in a BBC interview.
Among the many things they share together is the fact that they have enjoyed dating very influential women at one time or the other. Essien was in a relationship with star actress Nadia Buari while Muntari dated model and former Miss Ghana Menaye Donkor. Both ladies were introduced to the players by the same confidante.
Essien will be a lonely man in Ghana’s camp in Angola but with the task of wearing the captain’s band on his arm and leading a very young team to glory on his shoulder, the usually quiet player will need to show that he is up to the task. He will need to make new friends and motivate the future stars who will be looking up to him.
For the duration of this tournament Essien will have to put aside the issue of Muntari’s absence to lead the Black Stars to glory.
Lolade Adewuyi, Goal.com
Muntari had led a trio of players to withdraw from the Ghana friendly against Angola in November without permission. The three players that included Essien and Asamoah Gyan were fined €3, 400 and were asked to tender an apology.
The Inter midfielder had refused to comply with the Ghana Football Association’s directives and was said to have turned down overtures to meet with coach Milovan Rajevac during the coach’s tour of Italy. Hence, Muntari was dropped from the national team for the Nations Cup tournament.
In a swift reaction, Essien had tried to make a case for his friend by writing an open letter to the GFA stating that Ghana needed the services of the midfielder to succeed in a tough AFCON group that includes Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo.
“Sulley Muntari is a world class player and has obviously gained a lot of experience from playing in Europe” the Chelsea midfielder had written. “We are in one of the toughest groups this January and it is very important we go with all our experienced and valuable players to win the cup and prepare for the World Cup.
“Three players didn't show up in Angola for the recent friendly and we have been embarrassed and punished for this. However, I wonder why Muntari has been the only one excluded from the team.”
The duo, who have been reputed to share many things in common, are as inseparable as Siamese twins. They always share rooms whenever they are in the Black Stars’ camp and seldom go out, staying indoors and having fun on their PlayStation.
Sellas Tetteh, coach of the Ghana U-20 team, told me recently that both players have been very close since being part of the silver-winning U-20 team of Argentina 2001. Both players were part of the youth set-up of Accra’s Liberty Professionals even though they played at different times but Tetteh believes that it was the common background which they shared that helped them forge a close relationship.
Essien, who lost his only brother at childhood, seemed to have found a brother on the field in Muntari and they have carried their friendship from the youth team into the senior Ghana team staying true to each other all this time.
Even though Muntari has refuted the claims of being an ‘Essien clone’, it is popularly held that it was the unavailability of Michael that made Jose Mourinho move to get him to play in his Inter midfield. "We're friends, almost brothers” he said about Essien in a BBC interview.
Among the many things they share together is the fact that they have enjoyed dating very influential women at one time or the other. Essien was in a relationship with star actress Nadia Buari while Muntari dated model and former Miss Ghana Menaye Donkor. Both ladies were introduced to the players by the same confidante.
Essien will be a lonely man in Ghana’s camp in Angola but with the task of wearing the captain’s band on his arm and leading a very young team to glory on his shoulder, the usually quiet player will need to show that he is up to the task. He will need to make new friends and motivate the future stars who will be looking up to him.
For the duration of this tournament Essien will have to put aside the issue of Muntari’s absence to lead the Black Stars to glory.
Lolade Adewuyi, Goal.com
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