Former Asante Kotoko midfielder, Michael Akuffo, has said that the horrifying experience of the accident the team suffered in 2017 made him lose his love for football.
Akuffo, who is one of a number of players and official who sustained injuries in the accident, said the incident left him with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and he gets frightened every time he steps onto the pitch.
He stated that his PTSD has caused him to lose interest in playing football.
“Two days ago I was reading something about our goalkeeper’s coach, Sampson Appiah( a victim) that he’s been neglected. I felt bad about it and it is something I pray shouldn’t happen to any team because it was a horrible scene. It is part of the reason I lost my love for playing football,” he told Angel FM.
He further asserted that not only does he gets scared when he steps on the pitch but also gets petrified whenever he is in a car.
“Because I get terrified when I step on the pitch due to the injury I sustained and also I get scared when I’m in a car. Mentally I was down, so it took somebody to psyche me up to come to my senses,” he added.
Akuffo pleaded with the management to support the neglected victims because some still wail about not receiving what is due them as promised by the chairman at the time, Dr. Kwame Kyei.
“Many of us still grieving about it because we had a letter from the then-CEO that our monies would be paid to us thus 2018. But nothing has happened since then…I pray that one CEO will come and take the initiative and try to address it. If it had happened to me abroad, I would have said I won’t play football again because of the insurance that I’d get. But here in Ghana most of the time the system doesn’t work and if you don’t have people who will fight for you or lead you to get what you are due, it’s always difficult. But I will always say we thank God for the gift of life.”
Asante Kotoko team bus was involved in a fatal accident on Wednesday, July 13, 2017, on their way back to Kumasi after their game against Inter Allies in Accra.
Michael Akuffo, Ollenu Ashitey, and Baba Mahama alongside some players and officials suffered injuries due to the unfortunate incident.