Osei Kofi: Ghana would’ve won 2015 AFCON if Mahama fulfilled promise to oldies

Ghana legend Rev. Osei Kofi has claimed that the Black Stars failed to win the 2015 AFCON due to ex-president John Mahama breaking a promise he made to past legends.

Osei Kofi played for Ghana in the 1960s and is widely regarded as one of the country’s greatest players ever.

The 82–year-old was a key part of the Black Stars squad that won back-to-back AFCON titles in 1963 and 1965.

He is also one of several legends from the past who remain bitter about the treatment meted out to them despite their services to the nation.

Osei Kofi's theory on why Ghana lost AFCON 2015 final

Speaking to Joy News’ Muftawu Nabila Abdulai, Osei Kofi cited Ghana’s loss in the 2015 AFCON final as a consequence of the neglect of past legends.

He claimed that Mahama, who was the president at the time, made a promise to the past AFCON-winning teams but failed to honour it, rather appeasing them with a token.

“A promise and a token, are they the same? If John Mahama had fulfilled his promises, Ghana would’ve won,” the former Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko star said.

“The five penalties, Ghana scored the first, Ivory Coast missed. Ghana scored their second, Ivory Coast missed. We needed one more goal to win the cup. You see what the token did for Ghana? The token took us to the final but we couldn't win the cup.”

The Black Stars reached the final of the AFCON nine years ago, narrowly losing to the Ivory Coast on penalties after a goalless draw in regulation and extra time.

Despite taking a two-goal lead during the penalty shootout, Ghana squandered the advantage as the Elephants rallied their way back to win 9-8 on penalties.