It will soon be almost a year since the most infamous day in the history of Ghana's relationship with international football during the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 when the senior national team went on strike,demanding payment of their bonuses before a game against Portugal.
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Adam Kwarasey tells his side of the World Cup story
Adam Kwarasey: My side of the story
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Several other incidents occurred in Brazil that almost ripped the heart out of the Black Stars including the change of then first team goal keeper Adam Kwarasey for Fatau Dauda just before the team's group game against Germany,a decision the then Stromgodset shot stopper felt strongly about has led led to a ten month hiatus from the team.
Kwarasey is still out of the national team though that situation could change after new coach Avram Grant flew to his new base in the USA to watch and hold an exploratory conversation with the Portland Timbers star."We had a nice talk just about everything. About my situation and how I like it here in the United States and also about the just ended AFCON.It was a nice conversation because it felt like a chat with someone I know from before. It was short and introductory but it was friendly he told Allsports.com.gh.
That could be the beginning of a thaw in the relationship between Kwarasey and the Black Stars after his departure especially after his outburst to Norwegian outlet VerdangGang after the World Cup. For him the pain from that failed adventure is still raw.
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"It was a lot of feeling after the World Cup.I was disappointed and everybody else was disappointed. We all wanted to do better and we failed and a lot of issues came up that we are not proud of. I [Adam Kwarasey] don’t want to say anything bad about anybody but i always say [coaches] must always try and get the best out of their players and in my situation I did not feel that the people in charge at the time were capable of helping me to reach my full potential because when I got to camp before the World Cup I felt really good and I was in great form but by the time our tournament ended, I was not in that same form so somewhere along the line something must have happened."
"I am done with that but what i want to say that we should have been able to get to our full potential during the tournament but we didn't and that is sad for us because that tournament will never come back."
He talks a lot more freely about it now considering this is the first time he has spoken to the Ghanaian press on the matter but is still pained by the narrative in the local press that he has set out conditions for his return to the team, including a guarantee of the starting position in the Black Stars.
" I have heard people say that he [Avram Grant] came to convince me and I said I wanted the number one position before returning.I have never ,ever demanded the number one position and that not how I am. Those who know me will tell you the same. If somebody is better than me then 100% that person should play. We are all athletes and we all compete for the jersey.There was no such conversation between me and Grant."
Short though his visit and chat might have been with Avram Grant, he seems to have made an impression on who Kwarasey tellsAllsports.com.gh the appointment of the former Chelsea and West Ham boss is big step in righting the mistakes of the previous technical team.
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"Avram Grant is a huge step in the right direction because he is an experienced manager who has been to a lot of places and managed a lot of good players so its an opportunity for all of us to reach our full potential if we are coached by him."
Words like that and the passage of time might seem to indicate a willingness to return to the fold on international football but Kwarasey is still cautious of the dangers of rushing back in especially with a family and a new club to focus on.
" I have always wanted to play for the national team .Every time I have enjoyed it but my last experience I did not enjoy and it was other things other than playing football that caused that. It has been almost a year and I am an older person with a new focus and priorities. My son for example who was born during the World Cup is a big part of my thoughts. I will always love to play for the national but if its a situation where you do not enjoy it and lose your form then I have to think twice."
Source: Allsports.com.gh
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