By Ken Bediako
There is an interesting similarity in the fate of Kumasi based Neoplan Stars and Nsoatreman of Bono when the history of our National Football League is written. The record put Neoplan Stars at the bottom of the 1984 league table ditto Nsoatreman on the yet to be completed 2025 league season.
You can argue the reasons for their demise are varied. This is because whereas Neoplan were hindered by a court action, Nsoatreman left the scene on their own free will in the aftermath of a home match against Kotoko resulting in the stabbing to death of a popular Kotoko fan.
The only bone of contention is why all matches already played by Nsoatreman were not scratched. Most critics say the three points and two goals awarded to would be opponents of Nsoatreman in the remaining matches were most unfair. It’s quite debatable that Nsoatreman were going to lose all their remaining matches by the same margin.
Comparatively, this Nsoatreman incident is still fresh in our minds so let’s recall the 1984 Neoplan drama.
Before the League could kick off on April 29, the Organisation of Ghana League Clubs Association (OGLCA) protested strongly against what they said was the unfair distribution of gate proceeds during the previous season; “especially large cuts for a so called Sports Development Fund (SDF).” The OGLCA cited a Hearts-Kotoko match that brought 400,000 cedis. SDF took 98,000 cedis whilst Kotoko and Hearts received 56,000 cedis each.
The clubs called for a review, which was presumably done to their satisfaction because they did not complain again.
This controversial 1984 season saw the return of Cape Coast Venomous Vipers to the National League after 12 years in exile. As stated earlier even though 12 teams including Neoplan Stars, entered the tournament a court action prevented the Kumasi based factory club from taking part. They were thus declared losers of all their fixtures.
An injunction by Bolgatanga Union Uppers against Neoplan Stars delayed the start of the league originally scheduled for April 1, and with the long battle in the court the GFA decided to go ahead with the competition on April 29.
Union Uppers had argued in court that they were the bona-fide qualifiers from the Middle League to the Premier division and not Neoplan Stars. Justice G. D. Hayfron sitting in an Accra High Court had ruled that if the league was allowed to start, Union Uppers would forever be prevented from taking part as National Top Division League Club unless they subsequently qualified to the top 8 division as they claim to have done.
The GFA did not appear to be interested in playing football in the law courts and the case could not be resolved. The GFA therefore went ahead with the original fixtures that included Neoplan Stars. But since the Kumasi based factory club could not honour the original fixtures because of the court case in question, they were deemed to have technically lost all their matches and were placed last on the league table and subsequently demoted.
Indeed, on July 30 a High Court in Accra came out with a final ruling that Union Uppers were entitled for promotion to National Top Division.
The Court said the GFA erred in the manner it ordered a replay of the Union Uppers’ Allovial Dredgers match at Dunkwa which earlier failed to travel the full 90 minutes owing to the invasion of the field by supporters of Dredgers. It said in view of this the GFA was bound by the evidence presented by Uppers to award them the two points and two goals in accordance with the rules of the game.
This would have qualified them for promote to the Top Division.
This ruling turned out to be for the records only. The 1984 league had travelled quite far at the time and the GFA might have considered it unrealistic to start all over again. As if doomed to fail this controversy prone season itself was ushered in January with an interim chairman appointed by the Ministry of Sports following the sudden resignation of chairman Lawton Ackah Yensu. His original replacement, veteran journalist Stan Abayaa, who was named interim chairman, turned down the offer citing his heavy schedule at the Ministry of Trade as PRO.
He was replaced by L.T.K Caesar formerly Deputy Chief Executive of the Sports Council.
The other members were veteran sports administrator, Commander Ofori Yentumi, Nick Dadzie, Deputy MD Food Distribution Corporation, Major George Lamptey FIFA Referee, Kwaku Ampem Darko Secretary.
The Ministry of Sports then decided that henceforth the GFA chairman would be elected at a Congress comprising regional football associations and representatives from the Armed Forces Police, Prisons, Universities Sports Association, Schools and Colleges Sports Federation and the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG).
On Feb 25 1984, the first such Congress was held in Accra and Mr L.T. K Caesar polled 31 to emerge chairman as against five votes by Nick Dadzie who was made his vice. Both were government nominees.
The new GFA chairman’s first monumental decision was to sack Black Stars head coach Osam Duodu barely two weeks to the 14th Afcon in Cote D’Ivoire.
Osam Duodu was replaced by Kwasi Afranie and as predicted by the doomsayers, the Black Stars flopped miserably by being eliminated in the very first round.
Ghana lost 2-1 to Nigeria, beat Malawi 1-0 and lost 2-0 to Algeria to return home early.
Not unexpectedly Caesar came under heavy media attacks. He quickly resigned as GFA chairman on April 24 and was replaced by Elias Teye, a management consultant and part time Radio sports commentator. The rest, they say, is history.
Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.
