Samuel Inkoom, a Ghanaian international football player, speaks to Sports Tourism Media co-editor Ramy Salameh about his sports travel life as a professional footballer, fan and holidaymaker.
Inkoom, 30, has won 46 international caps for Ghana and was a member of the Black Stars’s squad which reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa. He was in Ghana’s squad for the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil and also appeared in the Uefa Champions League for Swiss side FC Basel.
Former clubs include DC United in the US, Boavista in Portugal and Antalyaspor in Turkey. He currently plays for Georgian club Samtredia.
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What was your most memorable sporting holiday?
When I was playing in Switzerland [for FC Basel] and after winning the Swiss Super League championship, I took my whole family to Antalya in Turkey. It is a country I have got to know really well and is totally set up for every type of sport tourism. During our stay, my family and I played plenty of tennis and basketball. The resort even created a tournament where the whole family could participate.
What is the best sports venue/stadium you have played in?
Well it has to be St. Jakob-Park – home of FC Basel. It was here that I played against the likes of Bayern Munich in a Champions League match and I simply loved playing in that particular stadium. The fans appreciated me and they loved my style of play, as I would make over-lapping runs forward. Anytime I had the ball the fans knew I would be making these attacking runs and would scream my name. Also, this was the stadium that gave me a global footballing profile and platform. I loved the fans so much.
Embed from Getty ImagesIf you could choose one adventure activity to do on holiday what would it be and where?
It would be a parachute jump in Switzerland. The nature and landscape is so epic, so it has to be this country to make a parachute jump.
What’s the ultimate sporting tournament you would attend purely as a fan?
It has to be basketball, when I was playing for DC United in America, I watched too much basketball. Many of the basketball games took place in the evenings which meant that this rarely conflicted with my own schedule of training and playing. I used to go to Chicago to watch basketball.
You played at the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa – what were your highlights and how did the Ghana squad relax?
We wanted to win it for the African continent, but we could not, we lost to Uruguay in the quarters but that is football. We as players found different ways to relax, some played table tennis, and others played volleyball, snooker and PlayStation. Everyone found their own way to relax. I loved this squad, each player was a skipper, looking out for each other. The atmosphere and feeling of playing in a World Cup was amazing, indescribable. Yes, it is every players’ dream to play in a World Cup or in the Champions League.
You have travelled widely as a professional footballer, does any specific country impress you through its sport tourism offering?
Once again I return to Turkey in answer to your question. I’ve been to and played in so many countries, but for me Turkey stands out in terms of the quality of the facilities and the way they cherish every single sport not just football. I love the people there. I pray that one day Turkey will hold a Fifa World Cup; I played in Turkey for nearly three years and what I felt and witnessed was different to anywhere else I had played, to be honest, so I wish they can host a World Cup one day and they would do a great job.
For enquiries about Samuel Inkoom contact centricsm.com
Main image: Samuel Inkoom/Twitter