<<Print>>

The embers of controversy stoked by the recent implicit pronouncements by renowned Nigerian pastor, Prophet T.B. Joshua, that he played a major role in the Black Satellites ultimate victory in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt, is refusing to die a national death. The latest to walk into the fray is the Chairman of the Management Committee of the U-20 side, Jordan Anagblah, who insists that, to the best of his knowledge, Prophet T.B. Joshua had no hand in the Satellites success. Speaking in an interview with Dan Kweku Yeboah on Peace Power Sports, Mr Anagblah said �to be frank, in the name of God, no-one told me about this prophecy; he did not talk to me and I had no prior knowledge of the prophesy�praises must go to the Almighty Lord.� According to Mr Anagblah, the report of the Nigerian Man of God �engineering� the Satellites� victory was news to him, and therefore rubbished the claims by anybody as being the architect of the feat. �I am telling you, Kwaku, if I am aware, why would i not pay tribute �.. I am unaware. I am only hearing it for the first time from you (Kwaku Yeboah); you can verify from the coach as to whether he informed me of anything�.for any individual to take the praise is uncalled for, since I believe it was the Lord�s doing�for now, we�ve won the trophy and we have to stay with that happiness,� he said. He continued:�In all those days from 2008, I don�t know whether the prophet was following the trend of the team when the going was tough, even in the competition I do not know whether from day one he was part. But I know from day one, before we even went to Gambia that God has spoken, and I kept telling the whole world that this is what God has said. People started calling me, may be because they thought (I don�t pastor any church anywhere), so God can never talk to me� he said. Mr Anagblah refused to be drawn into any argument on whether the Nigerian Pastor really predicted events as they unfolded in the course of the game between the Satellites and A Sele��o of Brazil. �I do not like issues that generate controversies, God�s word is not for the prerogative of anybody, he has the power and he decides what should happen in a day, unless any other human being well tell me that he has the same power like God, that he can predict what will happen to someone�every prediction is only done by God and that becomes permanent, and if an individual claims he is the one so be it,� he stated. Mr. Anagblah, who was the leader of the Ghanaian delegation at the tourney, was non-committal on whether the coach made his own team selection without the influence of the man of God or not. �Only the Coach can answer as to whether the team selection was done by the Prophet,� Mr Anagblah said.