By Ken Bediako
This is a recollection of the fifth national football league perfectly run by Ohene Djan, the legendary sports administrator, who the present generation has refused to honour.
To set the records straight Accra Stadium was named after him by the Kufuor Government 22 years ago alongside sports celebrities like hockey queen Mrs Theodosia Okoh, Table Tennis addict D.G.Hathiramani, Boxing king Azumah Nelson and football star Baba Yara. And believe it or not some suspected hired hooligans boldly defaced the Accra Stadium a few months later and went scot free. Strangely, the Sports Ministry doesn’t seem to see anything wrong with this blatant destruction of the nation’s sporting history. Sad indeed.
With support from ace Radio sports presenter Dan Kwaku Yeboah I will continue to extol the virtues of Ohene Djan to remind the authorities the legendary sports administrator of global fame deserves honour at home. Let’s name Accra Stadium after him now, now, now.
Now to the exciting story of the 1962-63 league under the supervision of Ohene Djan.
MODIBO TOE TOWS
HASAACAS FRON LEAGUE.
July 29 1962 – July 28 1963
The season opened with five new clubs, making their league debut, by invitation. They were, Eastern Rovers, Ahorsu United, Volta United, Brong Ahafo Stars and Harbour City.
Ohene Djan decided that Real Republikans should this time take part in the league on competitive basis and they won the cup pipping Kotoko by three points.
As if there hadn’t been enough controversy in the previous season, the problems spilled over and made this another memorable season. This time, the confrontation was between Sekondi Hasaacas and GAFA, the football controlling body, over the transfer of their star player, Liberian born, but Ghanaian bred Modibo Toe. The clash was so fierce it resulted in a historic dismissal of Hasaacas from the league.
Modibo Toe was easily the most exciting player in the Western Region at the time and Sports Director Ohene Djan was extremely anxious to transfer him to his pet model club, Real Republikans.
Hasaacas were not amused. They protested vehemently and publicly threatened to quit the league if they were deprived of the services of Modibo Toe. In fact, to pre-empt the transfer, Hasaacas announced an indefinite suspension of Modibo Toe.
Though the league was in its 28th week with only six matches to go to, this action provoked the all-powerful Ohene Djan who, on May 14, in a spectacular show of power, sacked Hasaacas from the league. He then invited Ghana Independence, also from Sekondi as ‘associate members’, to continue on from where Hasaacas had left off.
Hasaacas briefly defied the suspension order by turning up for the next league match against Dwarfs at Cape Coast on May 19. Independence also turned up for the same match, creating a comic scene of three teams for one game. Ironically, it rained heavily and the match was called off. Hasaacas, probably, seeing this as an omen decided to accept the ban imposed.
Supposedly, in the interest of the nation, Ohene Djan annulled the suspension of Modibo Toe and transferred him to Republikans. He played for two seasons before returning to Liberia, where he reportedly died in a motor accident in 1970.
With this hullabaloo, Asante Kotoko on April 28, 1963 decided to withdraw from the league and play on a non competitive basis. A statement by club chairman Nana Darko Kufour said the decision had been taken because the, “spirit of fair competition no longer existed in the league.” The club accused Sports Director Ohene Djan of partiality for Republikans alleging he was “determined to ensure the victory of his pet model club at all costs in the league.”
Kotoko walked off the field in a match against B.A. United at Sunyani for alleged hostile reception and failed to honour the last league fixture against Ahorsu United at Ho.
Notwithstanding their actions, Kotoko recorded one of the highest scores of the season by whipping Ahorsu United 10-1, in Kumasi rivalled only by Republikans’ 12-0 win over Tema Hurricanes at Tema.
This season saw the end of the colourful career of Baba Yara, affectionately known as the King of Wingers. On March 24, 1963, Republikans played Volta Heroes at Kpandu, winning 5-0. On their way back to Accra, their vehicle was involved in an accident at Kpeve in the Volta Region. Yara, the ace footballer, was paralysed following injuries he sustained in the accident.
Eyewitness accounts said the 23-seater bus skidded off the road in a curve on a slippery road and hit an embankment. Yara, seated near the main door, was thrown out of the bus and he might have been trampled by his colleagues in the stampede to get out of the bus. Twelve other players, Agyeman Gyau, Kofi Pare, E.C.Oblitey, Dodoo Ankrah, Shitta, Edward Boateng, Carl Locko, William Gibirine, Otto Odametey, S. Y. Tetteh, Salifu Musa and Dodoo Quartey sustained slight injuries. They were sent to Ho Hospital from where they were flown to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra. Most of them were discharged within a few days.
Yara, accompanied by Dr R. O. Addae, surgical specialist from the 37 Military Hospital was flown to England where he was treated at the famous Stoke Mandeville Hospital for spinal injuries.
A week later, La Ronde Night Club, a popular joint in Accra, presented Yara’s wife, Patience, with an air ticket to visit her husband in the UK. Interestingly, the return ticket had been won by Yara two weeks before the accident when he was chosen the best dressed gentleman in a competition organized by the night club.
Initial reports from Stoke Mandeville Hospital said there was the possibility of the colourful football star ‘gaining a reasonable recovery within a period of four to six months.’ This was not to happen and on August 14 1963, Yara returned home in a wheelchair. After a quiet life, the ‘King of Wingers’ died on May 5, 1969.
At the close of the season, the bottom four teams, All Blacks, Ahorsu United, Standfast and Volta Heroes were sacked.
Modibo Toe of Sekondi Hasaacas/Republikans was the most exciting player of the season.
Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.
