A South African based Ghanaian citizen, Benjamin Asiedu who describes himself as a chief has firmly alleged that foreign players who play their trade in the PSL are mostly denied playing time and good relationship unless they devotedly indulge in the smoking of marijuana, and has cautioned Black Stars midfielder Sulley Muntari ahead of his desired move to the PLS.
Muntari has been without a club since leaving Spanish second-tier side Albacete in June, 2019 after a six-month loan spell, and is said to have expressed his strong desire to move to the PSL soon. According to South Africa-based agent Sipho Shaven as quoted by kickoff.com, the former Inter Milan midfielder “has given me a mandate to talk to clubs in South Africa. He is very keen to play in the PSL next season”, and Muntari has, in a recent interview, declared his love for Kaizer Chiefs.
Reacting to the news of Muntari’s desire to join the PSL, Benjamin Asiedu who identified himself as “Nana Tufohene at Gomoa area, comprising of towns like Apam among other towns”, has alleged that if you are a foreign player in the South African league and you don’t know how to smoke marijuana, your teammates do not socialize with you, and above all you not given playing time. According him, only foreign players who are exceptionally good on the field of play do earn playing time and as well enjoy good relationship with their teammates. He explained that foreign players who are unable to smoke marijuana (which has been decriminalised by the country’s Constitutional Court for personal consumption by adults in private) are mostly endure camp life in solitude and struggle for playing time.
“I went to Polokwane and I was told a lot of things by some Ghanaian players and citizens”, Nana Tufohene began, speaking exclusively to ghanasportspage.com. “One thing they told me was the smoking of marijuana. If you are a Ghanaian and you come here and don’t know how to smoke the marijuana, you know in Ghana if you smoke marijuana you will be arrested but here, it’s allowed for them to smoke being young or old aged one. So it’s like the footballers smoke it mostly before and after training, so if you don’t know how to smoke it they don’t accept to befriend you, so the relationship between a marijuana smoker and another marijuana smoker is high here”, he alleged.
On Sulley Muntari, Nana Tufohene stressed that, though he may come but may not survive if he is not in his old self unless he eventually joins the marijuana smoking group among his would-be teammates.
“He can play but if he does not meet good people he will be sidelined. Like our goalkeeper (Richard Ofori) knows how to keep the post well, for him the whole world knows he is good, so for Sulley, provided his performance is still great….because it’s like the issue of bribery in Ghana, here too if you can smoke marijuana you are a friend. If you know how to smoke marijuana you enjoy a good relationship with them, but if you don’t know how to smoke it’s difficult to earn a good relationship with them”, he claimed.
Pushed to recommend a decision for Muntari, Benjamin Asiedu (Tufohene) advised that the UEFA Champions League winner may join the PSL provided he is the same person known for his top notch performance for Ghana Black Stars and during his playing days in mainstream Europe.
“I can tell him that if only his performance is still same as the Sulley we used to know who have helped Ghana so well then I don’t have any problem, but if he comes and indulge in making friends then they’ll introduce him to marijuana smoking. Because over here marijuana smokers are not arrested for smoking, so if you know how to smoke then you will have a good relationship with them”, he reiterated.
Asked whether Black Stars goalkeeper Richard Ofori’s survival and success in the PSL can be attributed to indulgence in marijuana smoking, Nana Tufohene Asiedu said Ofori is succeeding because he is exceptionally good goalkeeper, else he wouldn’t have enjoyed life if he never smoked.
