Ghana U20 coach Sellas Tetteh has cast doubt over his own competence after admitting that a Nigerian pastor Prophet T.B. Joshua decided which players he should play at the U20 World Cup.
Joshua, who has close links to President John Evans Atta Mills, told Tetteh to make Andre Dede Ayew the key to his selection as he was the luckliest player in the U20 World Cup winning squad.
But Ayew, who is a Muslim, seems to challenge the claims as other Muslim players and other Muslim technical staff of the team recited the powerful verses of the Qur'an daily for the success of the squad. Joshua, apparently playing God, divulged to a Nigerian newspaper that the Black Satellites coach, Sellas Tetteh, were constantly in touch with him on Friday morning (match day) for prayers and counseling.
The leader of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) has even posted his claims in Youtube claiming he masterminded the victory which has caused embarrassment to many Ghanaians who say the pastor was in charge of the team. "Mr. President and the coach were constantly in touch with me on the morning of the match," Joshua told Complete Sports. "We talked severally before, during and after the match, I told them that they should remain focused on the tasked ahead of them, with a special warning that they should not hustle to score a goal in regulation time. "I warned that if they should look for goals, they would end up losing the game.
“They called me again at half time and I repeated the same thing. This time around, I specifically told them not to rush things as the match will be settled after extra time. That means after 15 minutes of two halves. “When the penalty kicks were about to start, they called me again to ask how it will go. "I just told the coach that he should allow his number 10 (Andre Ayew) to take the first kick and they will end up to winning the game.
“They took my advise and everything went favourably well at the end of the day, and we are all celebrating this great feat by our African brothers.”,Tetteh admitted that they were in constant touch with Joshua throughout the tournament and he said the pastor's predictions were true. "Before God and man I was in constant touch with Pastor Joshua - all the predictions he made were realised," Tetteh told Peace FM. But Ayew who was at the centre of Joshua's predictions says all the glory must go to God because people of all faiths contributed to the team's success. "We have to thank God for our victory. People of all faiths contributed because all the religions contributed because they all prayed to God," Ayew said during the team's arrival on Saturday.
"I am a Muslim so me and the other Muslim players and even the technical staff also prayed and recited the Qur'an. "Like my Christian colleagues and people of other faiths we all prayed to God for victory. So all the glory is to God." But Tetteh's claims have led to calls for him to be replaced by Pastor T. B. Joshua as he decided which players should play. Joshua said he called Tetteh during the penalty kicks to call for Ayew to take the kick first but Tetteh was not seen talking to him live on TV.
The version of events narrated by the pastor also slighted contradicted Tetteh's. Many Callers to Peace FM's morning show Kokrokoo put the boot into the pastor with many asking why he didn't mastermind for his own Nigeria's success at the tournament. Others have also asked why Joshua filmed the event as it has been seen as his quest to seek publicity for it.
