Sports presenter Patrick Osei Agyemang better known as ‘Countryman Songo’ has issued an apology to assistant Black Stars coach John Paintsil.
The ex-Black Stars defender sued the Adom TV presenter alongside other sports journalists, Saddick Adams and Veronica Commey as well as Sports analyst Christopher Nimley.
The reason for the lawsuit was attributed to allegations levelled against the former Fulham right-back suggesting he possessed a fake coaching license and lacked the moral rights to lead the Black Stars as part of the technical team.
In addition was a verbal assault by Countryman Songo on live TV.
🚨💣🔥 Countryman Songo renders apology to John Paintsil on live tv pic.twitter.com/YlkQn6ni9g
— Listowel Mensah (@Listo_Mens) April 8, 2024
Paintsil demanded a total of 80 million Ghana cedis in damages including charges against three media houses; Omni, Angel Broadcasting Network and Multimedia Group Limited.
However, Osei Agyemang earlier on Monday, April 8, 2024, admitted he went overboard with his comments and offered an apology hoping Paintsil would consider it and drop the charges.
The issues began in the aftermath of the Black Stars’ early exit in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which marked consecutive group-stage eliminations from the competition.
The disappointing outcome of the team’s performance triggered many Ghanaians to descend on authorities seeking redress for the declining standards in Ghana football. These concerns were further emphasised when the aforementioned journalists championed a demonstration under the banner ‘Save Ghana Football’.
- John Paintsil drags journalists and media houses to court
- John Paintsil seeks 80 million Ghana cedis in damages
John Paintsil, in an interview with UTV, said it was difficult to fathom the motive behind the protest.
Those comments appeared to anger some Ghanaians as well as the conveners of the demonstration as they felt the issues in Ghana football were clear to witness.
The saga reignited when the former West Ham United defender was appointed as one of the assistant coaches in the newly constituted technical team of Black Stars headed by Otto Addo.
The said journalists again raised concerns about Paintsil’s qualification with a statement claiming Painstil used fake certificates in the past. These accusations were followed by verbal claims on respective platforms with Songo’s claims being considered by many as ‘too unprofessional’.
As the issues continue to unfold, all eyes will be on the individuals and media houses involved to see how they react after Songo’s apology.
Meanwhile, John Paintsil has already begun work under Otto Addo sitting in the dugout together in Ghana’s previous two games against Nigeria and Uganda in the March international friendlies.
He will be looking forward to the next assignment which will see Ghana trade tackles with Mali and the Central African Republic in June in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.