Interview with Örebro’s Sam Mensah: “My journey has been long”

By Ing. George-Patrick Bediaku

Samuel Mensah, one of the pioneering Right to Dream graduates, reminisces about his developing years, the many sojourns and how it all culminated in his being named ‘Best Player of the Season’ for second tier Swedish club Östersunds FK. He has also signed for newly-promoted Allsvenskan side Örebro SK.

Beaming with smiles and with an ever so calm and friendly demeanour, 24-year old Mensah sits down with agoronet.com and recaps it all.

“It’s been a very long journey for me. I started with Right to Dream when I was very little, when I was about 10 years old. It wasn’t easy when we started,” he remembers. “You know, we were the pioneers, the first generation. We didn’t have sponsors. It was difficult. These days, the academy has some help from Europe, some sponsorship from Nike. But back then, it wasn’t easy.”

For someone who has been on this kind of journey, it’s understandable when you realize he can be quite philosophical.

“In life, if you need something you have to work for it. So we worked hard.”

Home of dreams

Right to Dream (RtD) has given many young players the perfect Launchpad for their professional careers. Mensah is no exception, but it wasn’t straight-forward either.

“At Right to Dream, I got the chance to go to England to play for the Under 17 of Everton, then I moved to Fulham and then to Newcastle United. But it was a big issue with me. You know, issues with work permit. So I couldn’t stay. I had to come back to Ghana.”

Mensah had just come back to Ghana after a number of years away and, like all the other RtD graduates, he paid a visit to the Academy premises, which is close to Akosombo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Specifically, In the Akrade Township.

The academy has state-of-the-art facilities, boarding facilities, beautiful pitches…basically, it is your modern day Academy just like in Europe. But in Ghana. Mensah made some observations and singles out praise for the Founder and CEO of RtD, Tom Vernon.

“In my time, there were only 20 boys at the academy but when I recently visited, they now have 80-90 boys. And they have girls as well. Back then, we had only one football pitch. Now they have about eight. They have nice buildings in which they sleep, many nice facilities which helps them with school and football. A lot has changed and it’s all due to Tom Vernon. He has put in a lot of hard work to develop players, not just from Ghana but from Nigeria, Benin, Ivory Coast and other African countries.”

Foray outside Ghana

So he continues his story about how he moved out to England.

“It was nice welcome news to me. It was a surprise for me, actually. I was at the academy and Tom Vernon called me one day and told me he had had discussions with Everton and they wanted me over. I went with Godfred Saka.

“We were so happy to get that opportunity because it’s difficult to get the chance to leave Ghana and go to Europe or England specifically. We were so happy and excited to just go to England and see how the place looks like and also get involved in their football.”

When a player gets the opportunity to leave the shores of Ghana, the dream is to stay and play. Sam, however, had a sting in the tail. An issue that confronts many Internationals in the UK. Work permit.

“So this was around 2004, I went to Everton, Fulham and Newcastle. Everton were actually interested in me but the paper work to sort out my work permit did not work out so I came back to Ghana.”

All over again?

Back to base, Sam had to, basically, start again. But as it is said, ‘every cloud has a silver lining.’

“I was then loaned to a sister Division Two side called Sporting Club Accra. A few of the RtD boys went there to have a feel of the league game. I played about two years and in 2007 got a scholarship to Hartbury College to play and school. Isaac Shaze, Abdul Majeed Waris, David Accam and Thomas Boakye all went to this same college.”

Back to England, Sam was handed a second chance. And boy did he seize it. His professional career would come from this.

“So for four to five years, I played and schooled in England. After my University, I had the chance to go to Sweden for a trial with Östersunds. I did well and they decided to sign me. I signed a two-and-a-half year contract with them. In fact, they proposed four years but when I spoke to Tom Vernon, he advised me to sign two-and-a-half years since four years was too long. I just saw out my contract.”

Well-versed

A versatile player, Sam Mensah recounts how he has played a vital part in Östersunds’ progress, being deployed in various positions.

“I was used in right back, centre back, midfield, many positions. When I signed with them, Östersunds were in Division Two and I helped to get promotion to Division One. Then also another promotion to Superettan, which they are playing in now. I will say I did well for the team and they helped me too. They did develop me a lot in my football. I’m so happy that I started through Östersunds.”

Sam has a persona of an optimist. He tries to see the best in every situation and it has served him well.

“As a football player, you always want to work hard and aim higher because you don’t know who is watching you. So for me, from the beginning of the season, I tell myself that I want to do more, I want to play at the next level. I know teams are watching throughout the season. And I know that at the end of the season, something good is in stock for me.”

Finding a partner…

Sam is a married man. He hitched up with Swedish Thilini Wester, who came along with him to Ghana and has been supportive of him. Sam tells the story of how they met.

“There was one summer where Wigan had come to Sweden for their pre-season training. We had just played a game and we were going to the club with some of the Wigan players and we met Thilini and her friends going to the same club. That’s where I met her and we struck it off.”

Shy and soft-spoken, Thilini chimes in and has only good things to say about Samuel.

“We’ve been married for six months. He’s very calm, he’s a good person. He’s a footballer but he’s a very nice person.”

Speak to footballers’ wives and they will tell you it’s not an easy ride. It seems, however, that Thilini has it all figured out. “In the start, we talked a lot about it. We know that we have to communicate with each other and when we know that there’s the football and there’s the private life, it works.”

Before signing on to Örebro, Thilini was on stage with her man to receive the award for Östersunds Best player of the year. “I’m happy for his move to Örebro, it’s a step up for him in his career. That award, it was good. He deserves it, after two years. I know how much he loves the club and how much he’s been struggling. And I mean, for ‘them’ it means a lot when they receive something like that. [Laughs]”

Hard to leave

Östersunds strikes a chord with Sam. He opines on his strong ties with the club. “It was hard leaving, emotionally. This is a team that I’ve been with for a long time. I’m used to the town, the staff, and the players. So it was hard for me to leave. But as I’ve said a footballer needs to develop. Plus I have a family now, my wife and everything, and so if this is the chance for me to move on, why not? I have to take it. I got the chance to ply at a higher level so I had to move.”

The Örebro move is definitely a step up. But with the options he had, what went into his choice of that club? “I signed two years with the team [Örebro]. I played against them twice. I like the way they play. They are a team that can achieve a lot in the future. Because they’ve got young players who are willing to work hard for themselves and the team and to develop themselves and help the team. To get the chance to get involved, I’m happy. The fans are also great. I can’t wait to start pre-season with them.”

LA, not so BAD, Is it?

Sam recollects his early formative years. Not with RtD, way before that. In Accra, a town called Labadi, Sam was drawn to the beautiful game by an obscure aspect of it. “I grew up in Labadi, in the Agyemang suburb. When I was a kid, there was a team in Labadi called Milo FC. They train close to our house. I loved to watch them and I loved the way they run and train. I always felt like getting involved.

“Another thing. As a kid, when I saw an older person wear his boots to play, and he stepped on the ground, and his studs left marks in the ground, I had this longing to also do the same, to wear the boots and train like him. That was a motivating factor for me.”

Stud marks in the sand. Who would have thought?

But then RtD came calling. Sam didn’t know what he was getting into, but he was ready to face it. Even as a young boy.

“Around age 9-10 years, I played with a Labadi-based team called AC Milan. I was at home one day when the coach came to my house and told my dad about some trials for a football academy he had heard of. He talked to my dad and I was called out. The coach said he had seen that I had some good talent within me. I agreed to it but told him that I needed my dad’s consent. My dad supported it and I was given the chance to go for the trials.

“At the time, the academy was training at the University of Ghana, Legon campus. After two weeks of camping, I did well and I was picked.”

But in all this, the Mensah family was faced with a ‘ying yang’ situation. Sam explains. “My parents were a bit concerned. I mean, they were losing a 10-year old kid. But the plus side to this was that they were not going to spend to cater for me anymore so they were ‘ok’ with that as well. [Laughs]”

Sam cannot help but send a message to all young players who want to be professionals. “It’s not been an easy journey. It’s been about 14-years and it’s been a lot of hard work and sweat.” And he still has a lot more to achieve.

Hope in the Ghanaian game

Despite being thousands of miles away in Sweden, Sam still keeps an eye on Ghana club football. “The local league has developed a lot. It’s still developing, it needs a lot more to match what is in Europe. But it is developing.

“Ghana football is not easy. It’s more physical over here. When you get the chance to go to Europe, you have to thank God. And you are very likely to do well because of what you’ve been through.”

And in these days, who doesn’t talk about the Black Stars?

“I think the Black Stars have done very well to qualify for Brazil 2014. The coaches, the technical staff, the GFA, the ministry all deserve big thanks for what they have done for the country. As a countryman, I’m happy for what they have achieved.

“I’m a Ghanaian footballer. What I’m going to do now is to concentrate for my club. When I get the chance to play for my national team, I will be happy. That is my dream, this is where I was born. I always try to follow my friends’ footsteps. Waris and Accam. I always try to follow what they did. I want to go through what they went through before they got their call-ups. I will be happy if I get called up to help my national team.”

The place called “home”

The wife, Thilini, also continues to wax lyrical about how much she is loving her stay in Ghana. “I really like Ghana. It would have been nice if I didn’t have to go home. Everybody is so friendly. It’s been nice. I’m sure when everything is done, we will probably settle in Ghana.”

Sam Mensah has his work cut out for him. He knows this. And he is willing to do what it takes to achieve all his dreams. All about the Ö’s. It started with Östersunds, it continues with Örebro.

 

Possible Black Stars line up against ‘The Copper Bullets’

With just few days away to the big clash, head coach Kwesi Appiah looks set to select a strong line-up against the Zambians on Friday. After failing to beat the Chipolopolo’s in their most recent encounters a huge trashing seems the only solution to end this canker.

Herve Renard’s men who still have lots of experience at their disposal will come all out on Friday in search of a win to warrant them qualification into the next phase of qualifiers. They come into this game with names like Kennedy Mweene arguably one of the best goal keepers on the continent, Stopilla Sunzu, Wilfred Kalaba, Christopher Katongo , Chisanba Lungu among others.
The stars will depart Accra for the garden city Kumasi this morning to continue their preparations for the big game on Friday.
Possible starting eleven
Goalkeeper: Fatau Dauda
Defence: Daniel Opare, John Boye, Jonathan Mensah, Harrison Afful
Midfeild: Rabiu Mohammed, Mubarak Wakaso, Kevin Prince Boateng, Andre Ayew, Kwadwo Asamaoh
Striker: Asamoah Gyan
Formation 4-2-3-1

 

FEATURE: A look at the 10th CAF U-17 Championship

The 10^th CAF U-17 championship will begin this weekend in Casablanca, Morocco and eight teams are participating in this tournament.  The hosts will be taking on Gabon in the opening match of the tournament at the Complexe Sportif Mohammed V stadium in Casablanca.

The tournament, which begins on Saturday 13^th April, will run till Saturday 27^th April and this piece gives us a look at the participants.

Burkina Faso, who are reigning champions, will soon have their reign ended as they did not qualify, to defend their title.

And as such, a new heir to the throne is to be determined.

Not only will the next champions be crowned but also the semi-finalists will get to represent the continent at the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in United Arab Emirates from 17 October to 8 November 2013.

The eight teams that qualified to partake in this tournament have been divided into two groups. Group A has hosts Morocco, Gabon, Tunisia and Botswana. And Group B has Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Ghana.

A look at Group A

The hosts, Morocco, have already started preparations towards hosting and winning the competition. They recently beat Niger 3-2 in a pre-tournament game. One of the oppositions the host will face will be in the form of their group mates, Botswana.

They edged out Algeria, beating them 3-2 on penalties, to qualify for the tournament. But Botswana, who are making their third appearance in the finals, will look to win the first match at the finals and then build from there.

One of their rising stars, Emmanuel Kabelano Mooketsane, will be one to look at. They face Tunisia on 13^thApril.

Tunisia are responsible for the absence of reigning U17 champions, Burkina Faso. They beat them over a two-leg tie, losing the first 2-1 but coming back strongly to win the second 3-0. In their preparations towards the tournament, they have played twice against Ivory Coast, drawing one and losing 4-2 in the other.

Group A is completed by Gabon. Gabon edged out Benin on the road to the tournament and will face a tough task in their first game at the competition. They will play hosts Morocco at the Stade Mohamed V, in Casablanca. A tall order, by the look of it.

‘Group of Death’

On to Group B, we have Côte d’Ivoire. On the road to the tournament, they defeated Senegal.

Les petit Éléphants have never won the tournament and will look to change that this time round. While camping in Tunisia ahead of the tourney, they beat them 4-2 while drawing the first game. Their first test will be against Congo, on 14^th April at the second venue, the Stade de Marrakech, in Marrakech.

Congo are the other team in Group B who beat Tanzania on their way to the African spectacle. The team, which also participated at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup, come into the tourney with a lot to offer. Though not power houses on the continent, they are not one to take for granted.

Nigeria are also in Group B and will be one dangerous team to look out for. They have won the African Under-17 Championship two times (2001 and 2007) and were runners-up in 1995.

They also won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1985 (at the time it was U-16) and the Golden Eaglets will come to compete, expecting to soar.

Ghana focus

Finally, we have Ghana, two-time African Champions (1995 and 1999) and two-time World Champions as well (1991 and 1995). The Black made it to the tournament after beating South Africa by a 5-3 aggregate scoreline. Arguably the biggest game in this group will be that between Ghana and Nigeria.

The Black Starlets camped in Novara, Italy, to prepare for this tournament. The team beat Swiss side FC Gossau 10-0 and lost 3-2 to Sampdoria. In their final match, they romped over Novara’s B side 6-2 and are in high spirits.

The team has said that the recent achievements of their senior counterparts, the Black Satellites (U20), at the African Youth Championship held in Algeria will spur them on to do well in Morocco as well. The Black Satellites placed second, losing to Egypt on penalties, and won silver.

Emmanuel Boateng and Benjamin Tetteh will lead the attack for Ghana.

A twist in the tale

Meanwhile, the latest twist in the build-up to the competition has been the directive from CAF. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to subject players of the national U-17 team to mandatory Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests ahead of the qualifiers for the African championship.

The exercise, which is across board, is to curb the ‘age cheating menace’ which has blighted age competitions on the continent. The continent’s soccer controlling body has reportedly sent out similar directives to the Associations.

According to CAF, the decision to have all the players undergo MRI tests was reached by its Medical Committee, as an immediate way of ending age-cheating at the 2013 African U-17 Championship in Morocco.

 

Posted on April 12, 2013

 

FEATURE: After loss to Bejaia, what next for Kotoko?

Keep Didi Dramani. Let his policies and regime seep through. He will do well and just needs the time to do this and patience from fans and his bosses.

Kumasi Asante Kotoko were on Sunday knocked out of the CAF Champions League competition by a JSM Bejaia side, who are only making their second appearance in the competition.

Their fans, and many Ghanaians, are incensed about this outcome, and understandably so.

A cursory monitoring of the airwaves on Monday morning confirmed this.

The Porcupine Warriors had passed up a big chance to progress to the ‘money zone’. And maybe more importantly, the chance to play against last year’s finalists, Esperance, had just been blown.

It begs the questions ‘What went wrong?’, and more importantly ‘What is the way forward?’

For one, coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani has obviously not found the right mix of his setup yet. Consistency has been lacking in the Kotoko team since he took over the reins.

A while back, the defence was advanced that Mas-Ud Didi Dramani had very little influence on the players who were bought as replacements for the huge exodus of key players.

When he took the record-setting Black Maidens to the World Cup and did well with them, many Kotoko fans hailed him as ‘The Messiah’, to take over from Maxwell Konadu and do better with the team.

‘Firesell’

Now, a lot of things happened in this short frame of time. Kotoko sold players, key players who were pivotal in their win of the Glo Premier League title and, by default, their passage to compete in Africa’s biggest club competition, the CAF Champions League.

The young defender, Baba Abdul Rahman, who moved to the Bundesliga team Greuther Fürth was a big loss in the defensive department. That move was one that could not be avoided. But he was not even owned by Asante Kotoko, as he was on loan from Dreams FC. More so, he was replaced by a reliable Gideon Baah. So this one ‘loss’ can be excused.

Also with hindsight, the management of Kotoko will rue having to lose Yahaya Mohammed, sending him out on loan to Tema Youth.

But the likes of Daniel Nii Adjei, Ben Acheampong, Nathaniel Asamoah and Yaw Frimpong, who were sold out in the ‘buy and sell’ culture that seems to be growing, are inexcusable. The apparent absence or lack of long term planning has definitely cost Kotoko a lot.

A clear club policy concerning long term planning must be instituted. If you groom a set of players for years …it defeats logic to lose a huge core of that team.

A while back, listening to radio discussions, the defence was advanced that Mas-Ud Didi Dramani had very little influence on the players who were bought as replacements for the huge exodus of key players.

Let’s say that this is true. Now, if a coach doesn’t choose his own material, he may be able to build a defence for himself. And in this situation, the frequent rotation of Didi’s setup gives this school of thought some credence.

Another reason which could very much be a major contributing factor to the woes of the Ghanaian giants is the rumoured tiff between the coach and management.

Any frigid relationship between a coach and his team’s management members is just a recipe for disaster.

This ‘rumoured tiff’ seems to have been quelled now but there were times when there were accusations that Dramani was not fielding some players due to this. Squabbles in any setup poison the atmosphere and don’t give off the best of auras.

For two-time champions, a 30-year drought without Asante Kotoko winning the coveted African title is not a good look on them.

What’s the way forward?

First thing. The decision makers at the club should not cower under the pressure calls for Didi Dramani’s sacking.

That would be a knee-jerk reaction which could see the club take two steps forward and one step back. They may find a good replacement, but their progress would be very slow-paced.

Keep Didi Dramani.

Let his policies and regime seep through the fabric of the team. I believe he will do well with the club. He just needs the time to do this and patience from fans and his bosses alike can help him achieve this.

Also, a clear club policy concerning long term planning must be instituted. If you groom a set of players for years and get the right mix who get you the Glo Premier League and a participation in the CAF Champions League, it defeats logic to lose a huge core of that team.

That is what happened and that is how Kotoko lost to a JSM Bejaia side, who are faltering in their own local league.

For two-time champions, a 30-year drought without Asante Kotoko winning the coveted African title is not a good look on them.

They need to get back to exerting their influence on the African stage and hopefully close in on the Esperances, TP Mazembes and the like.

Kotoko need to put plans and structures in place for the immediate future and the long term. In the meantime, they are in contention for both the Glo Premier League and the MTN FA Cup. It is very possible for them to win at least one of these titles.

With the kind of fire their fans are breathing, silverware at the end of this season can do a whole lot of good in appeasing them.

Berekum Chelsea set the standard very high, when last year they advanced to the ‘money zone’ and did well in there. For a team like Kotoko, to lose to an Algerian team who are only making their second appearance in the CAF Champions League, it is just disappointing.

Posted on April 8, 2013