Advertisement

Captain’s band rift robbed us of Senegal '92 trophy - Polley
Prince Polley in action during his ays with Black Stars

Captain’s band rift robbed us of Senegal '92 trophy - Polley

Twenty-eight years after failing to clinch the ultimate at the Senegal 1992 Africa Cup of Nations, a former Black Stars striker, Prince Opoku Polley, has blamed those who masterminded the appointment of Tony Baffoe as the skipper in the final against Cote d’Ivoire as the cause of the setback.

“The captain's band was a minor issue which should not have derailed our ambition to win the trophy at stake but it got out of hand due to how it was handled.

"The manner in which it was handled changed the mood in camp and dampened team spirit just before we went into the match against Cote d’Ivoire,” Polley bemoaned during an exclusive interview with Graphic Sports Online.

He noted that “Just after the announcement of the change of captaincy, a state of despondency was created in the hall and we were quiet as if we had lost a valuable item. For me, it was the team spirit that was sapped from us before such a crucial match."

“It sapped our fighting spirit so much that we could not offer our best in the most important match of the tournament. We had a good team and should have won the cup hands down after defeating Nigeria but the pettiness of a captain’s band and how it was  handled robbed us of that magnificent trophy,” he explained.

“Before the tournament, Tony Yeboah had always led the team in the absence of Abedi Pele and had proved to be a worthy leader capable of commanding the team to achieve good results, he recalled.

.He said it was, therefore, shocking that within a few hours to the grand finale things changed suddenly and Tony Yeboah was sidelined for the captain's band in favour of Tony Baffoe when Abedi Pele was disqualified.

 “We were all shocked about the sudden change of events and wondered what was amiss. The room that had been filled with enthusiasm since morning suddenly became very quiet as if chilled water had been splashed at us.

"The announcement really dampened team spirit because the one who was leading the attack, and most key players were affected psychologically.

"I know Tony did his best in the match just like all players but I realised that giving him the captain’s band to lead the team would have galvanised him to perform better that day to help secure the ultimate trophy for Ghana,”.Polley recounted.


The Stars' captaincy vacuum was created when Abedi Pele picked a second yellow card in the semi-finals against the Super Eagles, ruling him out the grand final against the Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire.

Connect With Us : 0242202447 | 0551484843 | 0266361755 | 059 199 7513 |