Samuel Inkoom Interview

Samuel Inkoom, the international defender of Platanias, replied to the questions of the fans and pointed out that "when the Administration and the coach show they want you and trust you as a footballer, you feel important and want to prove your worth on the pitch." At the same time, he remarked that "I am here to play for Platanias. This is the most important thing. Playing for the national team of my country comes next. At the end of the day, both Platanias and the Ghana National Football Team are important to me."

 

Question by Giorgos Logaridis

How did you feel the first time you played for Platanias? You had very few training sessions with the team and you then went straight into the competition matches.

First of all, I was happy to come to Platanias. When the Administration and the coach show they want you and trust you as a footballer, you feel important and want to prove your worth on the pitch. The coach saw the condition I was in when I first arrived and decided to use me in the matches. He told me this and I replied I was ready to help the team. I then when straight into the competition matches because I was ready to and did not need two to three months to be in the right physical condition. I am an experienced professional player and am particularly happy about the fact that since the very beginning, I am able to help the team of Platanias to achieve its goals.

 

Question by Lefteris Kordatzis

Do you believe that Platanias can help you win a place in the National Team of your country that will participate in the 2014 World Cup?

I certainly believe this. I believe that Platanias is a good club that will greatly help me be in a good physical condition and therefore participate in the World Cup to be held in Brazil this summer. It will definitely help me. Of course, I am here to play for Platanias. This is the most important thing. Playing for the national team of my country comes next. At the end of the day, both Platanias and the Ghana National Football Team are important to me.

 

Question by Eftichios Vitorakis

What is your opinion regarding the team's condition? Would you like to remain a player of Platanias?

I have now personally realised that Platanias is like a family. The president, the vice presidents, the members of the Administration, the coach and the technical staff, the medical staff, the Media officer, the collaborators, the supporting personnel – everyone. My teammates in Platanias are quality players; I respect all members of the team and at the end, we all want Platanias to progress and achieve its goals. We therefore need to continue doing our work as professional footballers in order to help the team advance.

 

Question by Vlassis Kampanis

What motivated you to sign a contract with Platanias?

I knew this was a professional and well organised club. They showed me they trust me, that they want me to come to the club and I realised this when I arrived, as I realised that they are like a family. I therefore came to play football, knowing that this would be my only concern. I am not here to rest. I am here to play football and help the club.

 

Question by Leonidas Katalakis

What was the secret behind the comeback in the match against PAOK?

I believe that the most important thing in football is to be focused and believe in yourself, to have confidence, even when things do not go the way you wanted them to. You can see that when PAOK took the lead, we were talking to one another and saying we had to react, to play better, to stop looking like that on the pitch, not only for us, but for the fans as well. We believed in this, we tried on the pitch and thus achieved this comeback.

 

You have been in Chania for approximately one month now. Did you have any time for sightseeing?

I still have not seen Chania because I have focused on my professional obligations and at the same time wait for my family to arrive. I am here to play football, namely I am here to work. We are not happy with the team's place in the classification list, we therefore need to work hard to change this. I believe we can manage this. After the work is done, namely when summer comes, my family and I can enjoy the life in Platanias and in Chania.

 

What is your promise to the Platanias fans?

I have loved the fans of the club from the first moment because the support us and enjoy the matches with passion. They believe in us and they should continue supporting us even more intensely and through their presence. We are ready to "receive" this support and do what must be done so that Platanias can improve its place in the ranking and remain in the Super League. I ask them to come in the stadium in greater numbers, to support us and give us hope and we will make sure to repay them for this.

 

What are your dreams regarding your children? Would you like them to be in sports as well?

I believe that each child will follow his own path and career. I would like one or both of them to become footballers like me or better than me, because I love football and I will be happy to see them involved in football. If they decide to choose something else, I will of course support them since they are my children.

 

What was the thing that made you become a football player?

I loved football since I was a little boy. Even when I was at school, I used to leave class early to go play football. My father is a teacher and a headmaster and he used to tell me that I should go to school to get educated. And I replied back that I would go to school but I would also play football. One day I was playing street football when a coach saw me and told me that I am talented and that he wanted to help me. He then took me to a football academy. When there, I told myself that football is nice and sweet and that I would strive to become someone in the future. That's how I started…