Joe Tagoe, also known as Bobby Short, was a former midfielder for Hearts of Oak who has acknowledged lying about his age while playing football.
Tagoe disclosed that he lowered his age from 35 to 19 in 2017 to get a berth on an Egyptian under-19 squad, attributing his choice to poverty and an unjust system.
"I was home and received a call from Francis Martey about an offer for an under-19 player," he told ATV. Considering my height, I replied, "Okay. I was perhaps 34 or 35 years old at the time. Such actions can be prompted by poverty, and the system is unfair to us.
The physical strains of training with the younger players nearly put his health in jeopardy. "I would have died if I hadn’t taken care of myself," he said. "I trained with both the senior team and U-20s, but the running with the U-20s always left me dizzy."
Tagoe dyed his grey hair every day to conceal his advanced age. He eventually had to resign due to the extreme pressure. He said after giving it some thought: "Many players like me face similar situations."
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Ibrahim Sannie Daara: GFA should bring the football family together.
Ibrahim Sannie Daara, the Ghana Football Association's former director of communications, has encouraged the organization to unite the football community in the wake of its inability to qualify for the 2025 AFCON.
According to the seasoned media specialist, the football family's conflicts and complaints are impeding development and need to be resolved for the nation's sport to improve.
Ghana missed out on the AFCON for the first time in 21 years after a dismal campaign in which they failed to win a single game and finished at the bottom of Group F with only three points.
"We ought to bring the football family together. I believe that the football family is experiencing too many reactions. We used to fight together on the battlefield in the past," Daara told Joy Sports.
"A few athletes have complaints. There are resentments among some football family members. There are complaints in the media. The FA has complaints. Elders are also present in the home. Bringing the family together as a unit should be the first thing we do, in my opinion.
Organize the management committee. assemble a strong management team capable of bringing the football family together. I'm hearing certain names that don't represent the football family as a whole.
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