Former Ghanaian international, Karim Abdul Razak has revealed that, having won several laurels in Togo, Benin and Mali as a coach he received his first coaching certificate in Ghana.
Razak took charge of second-tier club Al-Marthiya in 2000 after ending his spell as assistant coach to Italian trainer Giuseppe Dossena who was head coach of Ghana from 1998 to 2000.
According to Razak, when he first landed in the Middle East, he was not moved to sign any deal with the club due to monetary issues but was contacted after seven years to come for his role.
He said though they wanted him to take up the role, his certificate by then was very low for the role, hence he pushed for License A, having already acquired C.
“When I had my first training session with the club, they were impressed including the players but I had to leave because we did not agree on the money aspect of the deal. After seven years, they got in touch with me again and they asked me to return. I already had my License C through a Sudanese instructor but when I told them I had only C, they were reluctant to give me the role so I was determined to go for A”, he told Dan Kweku Yeboah TV.
Narrating his journey to acquiring License A, the 1978 AFCON Footballer of the Year credited former CAF Secretary, Anthony Baffoe who played a vital role.
“We went for a course at Desailly Complex and I spoke to Baffoe who forwarded my message to the late Ben Koffie. Because of me, they used five days to complete the License A course which usually lasted for a month. I missed half way when I was in Mali so I was told to wait for the next batch but I told the then Director of CAF, Abdel Moneim Hussein “Shatta” who instructed Oti Akenteng to finish up within five days and I was able to sign a year contract with Al -Marthiya”, he added.
Razak began his career with colt’s team Cornerstones in Kumasi between 1972 and 1975 before he moved to Asante Kotoko where he spent four years with the Porcupine Warriors, scoring 154 goals in 354 games as a midfielder.
He went on to play for clubs in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Ivory Coast.