Gerald Asamoah came from Ghana to Germany and was a professional football player. The 40-Year-old speaks in a DW Interview about the upcoming Africa Cup, differences in mentality, and his “typical” Childhood in the Sands of Accra.
Deutsche Welle: What is the Africa Cup mean to you – even if you have decided once for the German national team? You have Ghanaian roots, and are regularly in Africa on the ground.
Gerald Asamoah: The connection was always there. The first tournament I watched, was the Africa Cup in 1992. The delivery time still is all over the television. There played Stars like Athony Yeboah, Anthony Baffoe, Abedi Pele. I had to take all the games with VHS video cassettes so that my father could see when he came home from work. I will never forget and I have developed a lasting relationship with the Africa Cup.
You have come through to the Africa Cup for soccer?
Anthony Yeboah was my great role model. And as a child I was hoping that I can get to where he plays. But soccer I played since I can remember. I always have to walk barefoot on any sand places in Accra (Ghana’s capital city, op. d. Red.) my friends and bolted. I would be a professional soccer player, from this thought, I was far away. That came much later, when I was in Germany. Here, I have not played for the first time with football boots, I knew at all.
How big is the interest in Africa, this Cup is how the population responds to it?
I know, of course, what is there – not only in Ghana – that’s going on, if the tournament is running. Football is the first sport that everyone is talking about it. There are actually only a subject, no matter whether on the road, the Radio or television. There is something in this country, the Public Viewing, with thousands of people. But if the games are running, then all of the shows and the streets are almost empty.
Street sweeper Africa Cup: Kenyan football fans in front of the television
What is the difference between, for example, a German of African Teams?
You can’t generalize, in principle, since we are talking about a whole continent with many different countries. I know exactly what is going on in many Nations in the Camps or on the bus. The players are looser. As is sung, danced, drummed. Because what is going right. In the German Bus peace reigns, everyone has headphones in your ear, or listening to music. I was as a visitor in Ghana in a national team training camp. And what was going on there, that was hard. I would have joined in also like from beginning to end. Sometimes I’m impressed already, as the players manage to concentrate on a game. Since I’m more of a German (laughs). But the witness would have attracted me on the other side, too.
The Africa Cup will be held for the first time with 24 instead of 16 Teams. This acts as a further bloating of the competition, as is currently the case in international football usual?
It can be argued that in the finals, only the best teams should be. I find, however, that the African football will win this very much, even if the smaller football Nations can join in. The countries that are eliminated anyway in the qualification, there is the interest in the Africa Cup sure much smaller or even non-existent. This is a shame. If you are now, then the sparks but an incredible euphoria as in Benin, Mauritania, Madagascar or Burundi. This gives all countries an additional self-confidence, therefore I think it is good that something has been changed. And who knows, maybe one or the other great Talent will be discovered from these hitherto-neglected Nations.
Ghana’s former star striker Anthony Yeboah
The Africa Cup is taking place for the first time in the summer. By the change of date problems with the exemption of players from European clubs to be prevented. A good decision?
I don’t think is very good for the clubs, where the players missing for so long. But also for the players who want to bring into their Clubs and need to. You can fully concentrate on the season and don’t have to in the meantime, almost two months. You then have a shorter holiday. But for you it is an honor for your country to play the Africa Cup. You take pleasure in buying.
There are at least twenty players from the Bundesliga and the 2 stand alone. League in the cadres of the African Teams. What are the African players?
In many African countries, the players are usually very athletic, on the other hand, the technical and tactical training is often a lack of. If you come to Europe, some to give, for example, no really good distance shots. This is due to the fact that it explained to the boys, no one really. It changes but. There are now academies, where young players are trained well. But the training differences between the two continents are still enormous.
Are there other differences?
If a player, for example, come to Germany, then some often wonder how strict it is here. This is a culture shock for you. Therefore, in my view, it is very important that the right people take care of you and a bit of Hand. You do not understand the language, know the food, have laughs, never seen snow (), all those sort of things. The many clubs do not make always the right one. That is why some very good players fail here. This should not be.
Senegal star striker Sadio Mané (m.)
Who is the favorite in this tournament?
I hope that Ghana once again. But Senegal, with Sadio Mané or Salif Sané right of the top players. Morocco has a good Team. And also the host of Egypt is of course strong. For me Ghana is a secret favorite.
Would you choose today may against Germany and Ghana?
No, I’ve always felt in Germany, and this was a choice I made from the gut. The risk here was of course greater, to make less games. In Ghana, I had had it safe a little easier. But I would choose it again.
The Interview was conducted by Jörg straw dummy
Gerald Asamoah was born in Ghana’s capital, Accra. In his twelfth year, he moved to Germany, where he lived in Hanover and later at Hannover 96 football professional was. His most successful time Asamoah experienced at FC Schalke 04, where he won twice in a row the DFB-Pokal. As a national player, he managed the world Cup final of 2002 in Japan and South Korea. In the year 2015, ended Asamoah his active career. Today, he works with the scarf core, and the hotel owner is in Accra, where he is also regularly on-site.