Black Stars head coach Charles Kwablan Akonnor says while he is not the humourless footballer a lot of people have made him out to be, he does not take the sport for granted.
Akonnor told Citi Sports editor Fentuo Tahiru on Citi TV‘s pidgin sports show Football Made in Ghana that he has always taken his profession very seriously, first as a player and now as coach since football has made a huge difference in his life.
C.K Akonnor is widely known to be a strict tactician and often seen to be ‘no-nonsense’.
While he admitted that while he may not be as lighthearted as many of his colleagues he still has a lot of fun with the sport.
“I cherish football. I don’t joke with it because it turned my life and my family’s around,” C,K Akonnor said.
“But there’s always time for fun,” the Black Stars gaffer added.
Akonnor was named the new coach of the men’s senior national team in January replacing Kwesi Appiah whose contract had expired.
He named his first squad ahead of AFCON 2021 qualifying matches against Sudan in March but those fixtures were cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
However, the coach is still keeping in touch with his players while trying to keep himself engaged as well.
“I’ve been trying to stay in touch with the [Black Stars] players while they are at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We usually chat via video calls. I also read lots of books to keep myself ready,” he said.