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An article appeared on the online football portal www.footyghana.com on Wednesday, 2nd November, 2011 which suggested that in an interview granted a reporter of the Ghana News Agency (GNA Sports) by coach Hans Van der Pluym had tagged the GFA, and or its operatives, as �RACIST�. The article or its source from the GNA, was a complete misrepresentation of the facts. Coach Van der Pluym did grant the said interview, which sought to find out his reaction to losing out on the National U-20 coaching job. Coach Pluym did say that he had faith in Coach Orlando Wellington, being a coach he had worked with before. He also expressed that he had hoped that he might have been considered for the role, considering that he had lived for longer than a decade in Ghana and was married to a Ghanaian, settled permanently in Ghana and so felt a Ghanaian; he added that he had initiated the process of going further than attaining his permanent residence permit, which he has had for a while, to applying for full Ghanaian citizenship. At no point did he mention that he was Ghanaian in the said interview. "When the GFA advertised the national teams� vacancies, there was no implicit or explicit suggestion that only Ghanaian coaches were to apply." He said at no point during the application process was he told that he was excluded by citizenship. He expressed a disappointment in the lack of clear communication on who qualified to apply, but also clearly stated his understanding, even support of the GFA�s policy to develop local coaching in this way. The coach made a verbal protest about the article to the online portal and the article was taking off on the same day, but not before it had been picked up by other print and electronic media houses. Hans Van der Pluym has always maintained his love for Ghana and never misses the chance to tell people that he feels Ghanaian. The original article and its re-broadcasts have put him in a bad light only because his words were paraphrased and misrepresented. "We would like the GNA, and its correspondent, to accept that in paraphrasing the coach�s words in the said interview, he has been misrepresented and to send a press release to media houses to set the records straight. At no point did Hans Van der Pluym say or imply that the GFA and or its operatives were racist."