By Ken Bediako
I would like to pay tribute to my old good friend ex-international football star Wilberforce Kwadwo Mfum who passed on last weekend. He was 88. Before paying his well-deserved tribute, may I be permitted to divert a bit and express my disappointment in Sports Minister Kofi Adams for his remarks during the 24th anniversary of the historic Accra Stadium May 9, 2001 disaster.
Most probably, in sync with the current national chorus fault finding, he questioned the credibility of the May 9 Foundation set up to handle the disaster victims. Based on some information the Minister said he had gathered, no proper accounting had been made by the Foundation. I can authoritatively say this is palpably false.
I thought having been blessed with two seasoned sports journalists at the helm of affairs at the National Sports Authority, the Minister would be speaking on sports matters based on facts and figures.
It is common knowledge that the Foundation’s fully manned secretariat folded up with a well audited record a couple of years ago after catering for a long list of dependents of the stadium disaster. Many talented dependents were educated up to the University, a few with Master’s degree.
The Presidential Commission appointed by President Kufuor did a marvellous work. Two of their landmark recommendations were education for the dependents and the setting up of a National Ambulance Service. The Commission, which was chaired by renowned veteran lawyer Samuel Okudzeto, comprised two former Deans of Law at University of Ghana, a top Professor of Pathology and a seasoned sports journalist. I can say with some amount of authority the Commission did a good assignment.
The full report plus Government White Paper should be available at the Ministry of Sports and the National Sports Authority. If contacted, I am sure the indefatigable veteran lawyer and politician Mr Samuel Okudzeto will be too willing to brief Minister Kofi Adams on the full history of arguably Africa’s most deadly stadium disaster. I rest my case.
With this preamble permit me to pay my tribute to departed football icon Whidiem born Wilberforce Kwadwo Mfum of blessed memory.
The aggressive forward player with bullet shots affectionately called Bulldozer, led Kumasi Asante Kotoko to become a strong force in the sixties. He was a star player in Kotoko’s first Champions league Cup final against Englebert of Congo Republic that Kotoko lost through the toss of a coin.
He played regularly for the national team, Black Stars, and made history by tearing the net with a bullet shot in an international match against Tunisia at Accra Stadium in 1968. As captain of the Black Stars in 1965, he missed the Afcon in Tunisia that year due to a last minute injury during preparations for the Tunisia Afcon. As fate would have it, his deputy Addo Odametey brilliantly led the team to win the cup thus Ghana retaining it after the first triumph in Accra in 1963.
Sports Director Ohene Djan described “Mfum as a powerful individualist with a lethal shot in the right foot. A fearless minesweeper and initiator of all onslaughts. A centre forward but in desperate moments he roamed the entire field for action and goals. He hated defeat and spent every iota of strength in him employing all tricks to convert defeat into victory.”
My observation was that Mfum had a telepathic understanding between him and wizard dribbler Osei Kofi. Nimble footed Osei Kofi supplied the perfect passes and Mfum finished the goods in brilliant fashion.
It is said that in certain matches Osei Kofi would play so much to the gallery with prolonged dribbling antics much to the annoyance of Mfum who was ever ready to find the net.
Mfum later played professional football in the USA. The records say Mfum started his football career with Swedru All Blacks and later moved to Cape Coast Vipers and Kumasi Great Ashanti before moving to Asante Kotoko.
He toured Europe in 1961 with the Black Stars and East Africa in 1962. He was awarded Central Organisation of Sports (COS) Master’s degree in sports in 1962. He was number two top scorer in the Black Stars next to Edward Acquah, “The man with the Sputnik Shot”. He also played in both the Tokyo 1964 Olympics and the 1968 Mexico Olympiad.
On his retirement from active football, he returned home from the US to serve as board member of Asante Kotoko.
Mfum’s passion for football never waned. He followed the game very well. He was especially thrilled with the comparison of Hearts versus Kotoko matches as the Ghanaian version of the Spanish El Classico between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Incidentally, the latest El Classico at the weekend which ended in a dramatic 4-3 win for Barcelona, had similarities with the Ghana version in Kumasi 42 years ago which Hearts won 4-3.
In that fully packed match on August 7, 1983 Zico Opoku Nti scored a hat-trick but his team lost just as Mbappe scored a hattrick but Madrid lost.
In the Kumasi match under review, Hearts led 3-0 at half time through Emmanuel Botchway (9th 40th), and Sam Yeboah (32nd) Opoku Nti (54, 55, 60) in six minutes made the scores even with powerful shots from the left flank.
Hesse Odamtten with a powerful inswinger won the day for Hearts in the 76th minute.
What a match it was and what a time to recall the scoring prowess of one of the greatest goal scorers the nation has produced.
In his days Mfum was nicknamed Bulldozer which was the strongest earth moving machine in vogue l.
Later on we had “Soccer Articulator.” I’m referring to the powerful attacking forays of Agyeman Badu of BA United fame.
In our current dispensation, Mfum would have been called “excavator” the strong earth moving machine which is the subject matter in all galamsey affairs. Rest in peace Kwadwo Mfum. Your name will be in letters of gold when the history of Ghana football is truly written.
Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.
