My actions towards the media were out of frustration- Salisu begs for forgiveness
By Daniel ODURO, Accra
Black Stars defender Mohammed Salisu has apologized for his infamous altercation with some Ghanaian journalists in the mixed Zone in the aftermath of Ghana’s disappointing draw with Mozambique at the Africa Cup of Nations.
That result effectively ended Ghana’s hopes of progressing beyond the Group Stages of the AFCON tournament – the second such occurrence in succession.
The result left a vast majority of media personal who were in Abidjan to cover the tournament fuming, especially after the Black Stars players attempted to boycott the usual Mixed Zone interaction with the press.
Salisu was captured in a viral video daring some journalists who at a point were hurling invectives at the players for their failure at the tournament.
Salisu was heard in the video challenging those pressmen to dare physically or verbally abused him while he walked through the Mixed Zone.
However, having had time to reflect on the incident, Salisu, who now back with his club Monaco in France, has issued a statement addressing the incident.
The center-back expressed his deepest regret about Ghana’s disappointing campaign and apologised for the team’s overall poor showing in the 2023 AFCON.
Salisu’s statement read, “It is with the deepest regret that I am writing to you about our disappointing campaign in the 2023 AFCON. As you all know, we went with the intention of bringing the Trophy home, but it was rather unfortunate that we were eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. We gave absolutely everything, but we were unable to secure the necessary wins to keep us in the tournament.”
Acknowledging the frustration felt by both players and fans, Salisu explained, “My actions towards the media were out of frustration. We went to the 2023 AFCON to win the trophy, but things didn’t go as planned. Everyone will bear me witness; the last game was unacceptable, so the fans have every right to criticize us but not to the extent of insult and threats.”
Salisu went on to extend an unqualified apology to those he may have offended, emphasising that the team is committed to bouncing back stronger in future competitions.
The statement also thanked supporters for their tremendous backing throughout the tournament.
