Sensational Football Player Transfers Within Ghana In The 1980s
The Most sensational of the transfers were those of Tanko Jentumah from RTU to Great Olympics, Isaac Nana Eshun from Kotoko to Hearts, Joe Odoi from Hearts to Great Olympics, Henry Acquah to Hearts from Hasaacas, Ollabode Williams from Hasaacas to Dwarfs, and Lawrence Adu Annan who joined Olympics in 1988 after a stormy Hearts departure. The hot chase after Emmanuel Sackey with a success for Hearts in the late 1980s also made waves.
Never did anybody imagine Hearts’ Sampson Lamptey, and Thomas Hammond ever joining Kotoko but it happened. Much earlier, Opoku Afriyie had moved to Hearts from Kotoko, sending Hearts fans to an ecstatic dreamland.
The fans rushed to the signing zones to have ocular proof of the big transfers. Others swarmed the sports newspapers such as ”Africa Sports” ”Soccer Spectator” ”Sports Beat” etc to read about the news.
The following by no means exhaust the list but certainly some of the eye-catching ones and these were footballers who made the national football league thick. The stadia in Ghana were always filled to the rafters in the period under review.
The dates that prefix to names of the footballers have some explanation. The first is the end of the season in which players signed for new clubs and the additional year is the year players began playing for their new clubs, (e,g 1985-86).
1983-84 Opoku Afriyie (Kotoko to Hearts)
1983-84 George Lamptey (Great Olympics to Hearts)
1983-84Goalkeeper Owusu Mensah (Okwahu United to Hearts)
1983-84 Albert Ansuade (Great Olympics to Hearts)
1984-85 John Nketiah Yawson (Hasaacas to Hearts)
1984-85 Dan Nyarnu (Great Olympics to Hearts)
1984-85 Sam Ayipey (Hasaacas to Kotoko)
1984-85 Isaac Nana Eshun (Hasaacas to Kotoko)
1984-85 Asare Boateng (Hasaacas to Kotoko)
1984-85 Yaw Asamoah (Eleven Wise to Kotoko)
1984-85 Kwaku Ofori (Hasaacas to Kotoko)
1984-85 Emmanuel Acheampong ( Tano Bofoakwa to Kotoko)
1984-85 Anane Kobo (RTU to Kotoko)
1984-85 George Arthur (BA United to Kotoko)
1984-85 Emmanuel Ayitey Crankson (Hasaacas to Hearts)
1984-85 Saraah Mensah (BA United to Kotoko)
1984-85 Phillip Opoku Sampene ( Tano Bofoakwa to Kotoko)
1985-86 Joe Odoi (Hearts to Olympics)
1983-84 Seth Ampadu (Kotoko to Hearts)
1984-85 Ollabode Williams (Great Olympics to Hasaacas)
1984-85 James Okyere (Hasaacas to Great Olympics)
1987-88 Henry Acquah (Hasaacas to Hearts)
1987-88 Osei Kwadwo (Corners to Hearts)
1988-89 Stephen Frimpong Manso (Corners to Kotoko)
1986-87 Ibrahim Gariba (Corners to Kotoko)
1988-89 Emmanuel Ampiah (Corners to Kotoko)
1987-88 Emmanuel Quarshie (Hasaacas to Hearts)
1984-85 Kwabena Asiedu (Eleven Wise to Great Olympics)
1987-88 Samuel Opoku Agyemang (Aduro) (Kumapim Stars to Hearts)
1986-87 Thomas Hammond (Hearts to Kotoko)
1986-87 Ofei Ansah (Hearts to Kumapim Stars)
1986-87 Sampson Lamptey (Hearts to Kotoko)
1986-87 Kofi Abbrey (Hearts to Kotoko)
1987-88 Isaac Nana Eshun (Kotoko to Hearts)
1983-84 Alhaji Bello (Corners to Eleven Wise)
1985-86 Alhaji Bello ( Eleven Wise to Okwahu United)
1985-86 Isaac Ayipey (Eleven Wise to Hearts)
1983-84 Ben Fokuo (BA United to Great Olympics)
1983-84 Mohammed Salisu (Great Olympics to Okwahu United)
1983-84 Albert Nkansah (BA United to Great Olympics)
1984-85 John Bannerman (Kotoko to Eleven Wise)
1984-85 Kofi Num (BA United to Eleven Wise)
1985-86 Freeman Turkson (Eleven Wise to Hearts)
1986-87 Joe Amoateng (Hearts to Man U)
1987-88 Ollabode Williams (Hasaacas to Dwarfs)
1985-86 Emmanuel ”Joe Tex” Quaye (Kotoko to Hearts)
1984-85 Kwasi Bonsu (Eleven Wise to Great Olympics)
1984-85 Atta Kofi (BA United to Kotoko)
1985-86 Atta Kofi (Kotoko to Okwahu United)
1986-87 Shaibu Grant (Kotoko to Okwahu United)
1985-86 Ben Kayede (Great Olympics to Hearts)
1985-86 Raul Iddi (RTU to Kotoko)
1986-87 Sulley Musah (Eleven Wise to Kumapim Stars)
1986-87 Karimu Zito (Kotoko to Kumapim Stars)
1987-88 Alhaji Bello (Okwahu United to Kotoko)
1985-86 Bright Owusu (Great Olympics to Okwahu United)
1987-88 Joe Debrah (Kumapim Stars to Kotoko)
1985-86 Abedi Pele (AS Dragons of Benin to RTU)
Anthony Yeboah, star of the 1986 league
1987-88 Emmanuel Sackey (Great Olympics to Hearts)
1988-89 Edward Opeele Aboagye (Okwahu United to Kotoko)
1986-87 Anthony Yeboah (Corners to Okwahu United)
1986-87 Sam Yeboah (Hearts to Okwahu United)
1986-87 Goalkeeper Andrew Quansah (Hearts to Okwahu United)
1987-88 Abdul Razak (Kotoko to Kumapim Stars)
1988-89 Kasola Dacosta (Great Olympics to Goldfields)
1984-85 John Ofoe Mensah (Agaza Club Togo to Hearts)
1985-86 Goalkeeper Felix Mills (Great Olympics to Hearts)
1987-88 Thomas Boakye (Corners to Kotoko)
1985-86 Abuba Seidu (RTU to Hearts)
1983-84 Opoku Nti (Kotoko to FC Servette Switzerland)
Those in Pictures
Ollabode Williams was part of the resurrected to become great Sekondi Hasaacas team that won the FA Cup in 1985 after a real struggle in the league. The club had been depleted the previous year by an exodus that included Isaac Nana Eshun. The Ollabode Williams Hasaacas squad was made up of Goalkeeper Abraham Boison, George Brown, Isaac Tandoh, Justice Abban, Elvis Mensah (captain), Emmanuel Quarshie, Charles Aikins, Enoch Koomson, Henry Acquah, Ollabode Williams & Robert Nyarko.
Joe Debrah was the inside left player for Kotoko in the 1989/90 season. His squad took Kotoko to heights. Goalkeeper Mohammed Odoom, Ibrahim Gariba, Kwasi Appiah, Frimpong Manso, Emmanuel Ampiah, Michael Osei, Thomas Boakye, Sarfo Gyamfi, Yahya Kassum, Joe Debrah & Robert Eshun.
Isaac Nana Eshun was the embodiment of the Kotoko that brought joy to the fans between 1985 to 1987. Goalkeeper Isaac Salifu Ansah, Isaac Nana Eshun, Kwasi Appiah, Rauf Iddi, Kwadwo Addai Kyenkyehene, Abdul Razak, Sam Ayipey, Sarfo Gyamfi, Saraah Mensah, Gabonese Ibrahim Mohammed, Asare Boateng.
Anthony Yeboah was in the spirited Corners team that mauled anything in its path in 1986. Goalkeeper Sampson Appiah, Ibrahim Gariba, Odame Ampomah, Frimpong Manso, Emmanuel Ampiah, Osei Kwadwo, John Ackon, Kojo Sumaila, PMK Kusi, Anthony Yeboah, Richmond Adade. (Ebenezar Lomotey, Ibrahim Safiyanu, Kwame Nti)
Alhaji Bello was the heartbeat of the Unconquerable Okwahu United in 1986. Goalkeeper Mohammed Odoom, Kwaku Manu, Aboadge Dacosta, Godfred Arthur, Edward Opeele Aboagye, Alhaji Bello, Charles Antwi, John Amponsah, Atta Kofi, Ibrahim Merigah, Bright Owusu.
The last time Abedi Pele played in the Ghana League was in 1986. The superstar helped draw attention to the Real Tamale United side which was already strong before his inclusion. RTU placed 4th that season, behind Kotoko, Corners, and Okwahu. Goalkeeper Abukari Damba, Kwaku Mohammed, Seth Gyan, Clifford Addae, Mohammed Alhassan, Abedi Pele, Kwame Danger, Ahmed Dauda, Mumuni Issah, Mohammed Choo, Tanko Jentumah.
Joe Odoi was dubbed the player of the moment in the 1984 league where he played in the right-half-back position for Hearts. Goalkeeper Owusu Mensah, Ofei Ansah, Albert Ansoade, Joe Odoi, Collins Paha, Joe Amoateng, Emmanuel Bochway, George Lamptey, Opoku Afriyie, Samy Yeboah, Robert Hammond.
John Nketiah Yawson was a native player of Hearts who commuted between Hearts and Sekondi-based clubs Eleven Wise and Hasaacas. At the beginning of the 1985 season, he moved to Hearts from Hasaacas, helping Hearts to retain the league title that year. He was the scorer of a lone goal that separated Hearts and Olympics in a closely-fought league match between the city rivals. The next day, the newspapers headlined the match ”Hearts-Oly, Same Old Story.”
Opoku Nti
In 1983, the talisman of Kotoko and the player who scored in every game Kotoko played was Opoku Nti. He was a member of this line-up, Goalkeeper Joseph Carr, Ernest Appau, Kwasi Appiah, Seth Ampadu, Kwadwo Addai Kyenkyehene, Papa Arko, John Bannerman, Yahya Kassum, Ebo Mends, Opoku Nti, Isaac Afranie (Francis Agyemang, Emmanuel Joe Tex Quaye, Karimu Zito, Akye Erzuah, Ahmed Rockson, John Baker).
