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Coup d'état and sports development in Ghana -1966-1969

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Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana,
New Series, No 19 (2019 – 2020), pp. 61 - 86

Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana – 1966-1969

By Kwame Adum-Kyeremeh and Emmanuel Ababio Ofosu-Mensah

University of Ghana

Introduction
There has been an increase in historical scholarship in recent years that
explores different aspects of the political and socio-economic lives of peo-
ple, including global sports. Particularly interesting in this context is lit-
erature dealing with the social, scientific, and cultural analysis of sport in
relation to the economy and society. Current research topics such as
sports and social justice, science, technology and sport, and global social
movements and sport, suggest that sport and social relations need to be
studied in all disciplines. Existing literature discussing sports in modern
societies include David Rowe’s Global Media Sport and Packianathan Chel-
ladurai’s Managing Organizations for Sport and Physical Activity.1
Other important works include Paul Darby’s Africa, Football and FIFA.
Darby’s book, in particular, examines the complex and contested nature
of governance of the world’s most popular sporting activity.2 Ken Be-
diako’s The Complete History of the Ghana Football League helps us to follow
the chronological development of the Ghana Football League from 1958
to 2012. However, it neglects the study of other sports in Ghana and, in
particular, the administrative structure behind the organization of
Ghana’s soccer league.3
These studies examine how Africans have benefited in diverse ways
from their engagement in sports. The authors argue that Africans have
used sports to attain various objectives, whether as a tool to resist colonial
rule or as a means to create an African identity and improve the status of

1 David Rowe, Global Media Sport: Flows, Forms and Futures, London: Bloomsbury
Academic, 2013; Packianathan Chelladurai, Managing organizations for sports and
sports activity: A systems perspective, London: Routledge, 2017.
2 Paul Darby, Africa, Football and FIFA: Politics Colonialism and Resistance, New

York; Routledge, 2002.

3 Ken Bediako, The Complete History of the Ghana Football League, 1958-2012, Accra,

self-published, 2012.
62 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

Africans around the world. Research on Africa and Ghana sports help us
to understand the strategies people have used to create national identity
and the benefits from engaging in sports. Despite these positive contribu-
tions, the literature fails to address the significance of military govern-
ment’s participation in sports administration. We believe that sports de-
velopment, and the mismanagement of institutions associated with it in
post-independence African societies is worthy of study. The current re-
search may help to explain the background to the crisis in sports in Ghana
under the National Liberation Council (NLC). It may guide contemporary
governments in formulating policies on the administration of sports.

The 1966 Coup d’état

On 24th February 1966, shortly before 6:00 am, a strange voice asked Radio
Ghana listeners to stay by their radios for an important announcement.
At 6.00 am, another voice made the following announcement:
Fellow Ghanaians, I have come to inform you that the Military, in co-oper-
ation with the Ghana Police, have taken over the government of Ghana to-
day. The myth surrounding Nkrumah has been broken. Parliament is dis-
solved and Kwame Nkrumah is dismissed from office. All ministers are
also dismissed. The Convention Peoples’ Party is disbanded with effect
from now. It will be illegal for any person to belong to it. We appeal to you
to be calm and co-operative. All persons in detention will be released in
due course. Please stay by your radios and await further details.4

This was the message that announced the overthrow of Nkrumah and
the CPP government. Four main factors accounted for this coup. In the
economic field, there was the shortage of imported industrial raw mate-
rials and basic goods. Also, from 1964, the army became dissatisfied and
resentful because of the preferential treatment that Nkrumah gave to his
own growing presidential bodyguard and well-paid intelligence corps.5
Thirdly, Buah (1980) asserts that the NLC wanted to end Nkrumah’s use
of national resources to promote the CPP instead of pursuing national de-
velopment.6
On the whole, the coup was largely a political action caused by dis-
content among the security forces, abuse of the obnoxious Preventive De-
tention Act (PDA) of 1958, rushed planning and over-spending, malprac-
tices in the award of contracts and purchases, heavy overseas borrowing

4 Quoted in Adu Boahen, Ghana: Evolution and Change in the Nineteenth and Twenti-
eth Centuries, Longman 1975: 222.
5 Adu Boahen, Ghana: Evolution: 222.
6 F. K. Buah, A History of Ghana, Macmillan, 2008:189-190.
 Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana 63

and crippling internal taxation.7 In our context it is particularly important

to note that the military authorities also decided to scrutinize the admin-
istration and development of sports in Ghana.

State of Sports in February 1966

On 1st July 1966, Nkrumah announced the creation of the Central Organ-
ization of Sports (COS). It was well structured, with five departments,
comprising the Administrative and Development Projects Department,
responsible for general administration and correspondence, External Au-
diting and Development projects office, the Training and Sports Depart-
ment to design sports training schemes, develop special games and su-
pervise the movement of coaches in the country. The third of these de-
partments was the Functions and Finance department, which was to over-
see the general management of sports stadia and control COS’ canteens
and stores.8 The International Affairs Department was to supervise gen-
eral international sporting activities like guiding visiting teams and rep-
resenting the council in international conferences. The Publicity Depart-
ment was in charge of publication and sale of the pan-African sports mag-
azine.9
Mr. Ohene Djan was appointed as the first director of the organiza-
tion. Mr. Teye Botchwey, was appointed as the National Sports Organizer
and Dr. Nkansah Djan was appointed as the Medical Officer to the COS.
The COS was to help promote, encourage, develop and control sports in
Ghana. It was to exercise final control over the external relations of all
forms of sports in Ghana and arrange and promote competitions between
Ghana teams and international teams.10 A major policy of the COS was to
develop sports throughout Ghana under the right rules and regulations.
Accordingly, between September 1961 and December 1961, the organiza-
tion sent ten regional sports organizers to East Germany for various
courses in coaching, it sent ten football coaches to Czechoslovakia for a
four-months coaching course and with government’s financial support,
began the construction of the Koforidua and Nkorkor Sports stadia.11 In
1965, the Organization sent eight sportsmen to the German Democratic

7 Buah, A History: 189. See also Adu Boahen, Ghana: Evolution: 225. On 26th Febru-
ary 1966, the National Liberation Council (NLC), the new government, was man-
dated to legislate by decrees, to be responsible for the administration of the coun-
try and to ensure the maintenance of law and order.
8 Tibo Committee Report on Ghana Sports, August 28, 1967: 2.
9 Tibo Cttee: 2.
10 University of Ghana, Balme Library, DP/DT 507.4 G.38. Ghana Year Book 1960,

“Central Organization of Sports”: 158.

11 Daily Graphic, December 11 1961: 13.
64 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

Republic to undergo an eight months refresher course in the Leipzig

Physical Training Center.12
Nkrumah ensured regular provision of and availability of substantial
funds to the COS. For example, to make the COS function effectively, he
allowed a memorandum from the COS to be delivered straight to Cabinet,
instead of the Ministry of Education. The Cabinet took only three days for
it to be approved. Government provided COS with funds and other logis-
tics whenever requests reached the government.13 For example, on Au-
gust 16, 1960, the organization received £58,580 as supplementary grant
and £82,000 for its development projects.14
Nkrumah wanted to encourage sports amongst the youth of Ghana
and to contribute towards the development of Ghana, improve the phys-
ical fitness of young men and women and help build unity and under-
standing between the regions of Ghana.15 The director therefore started a
system whereby football clubs were required to form themselves into
sporting clubs in order to cater for other games like athletics, hockey, table
tennis, boxing and cricket. Those clubs, which satisfied the Director that
they had become sporting clubs were assisted with equipment and occa-
sionally with monetary grants of NC200 or more.16 Djan also introduced
in Ghana, the “mass participation” and “sports development in its en-
tirety” policies. He appointed ten Regional Organizers to represent him
in the regions to organize sporting clubs and take charge of all activities
of the COS. Although he sometimes employed the services of expatriate
coaches, most coaches were local sportsmen, some of whom were sent
abroad for coaching courses lasting between six weeks and one or more
years.17 His staff establishment of paid officers included National and Re-
gional Coaches for the various games.
In addition, sportsmen and women were given employment in state
enterprises, such as the Farmers Council, the Workers Brigade and the

12Daily Graphic, December 11 1961: 13.

13With Nkrumah’s endorsement, Mr. Djan readily spent huge amounts of money
into the development of sports in Ghana and across Africa and beyond. See Re-
port on Audit Investigation: 1967:1. Promotion of sports reached highest levels
despite the fact that the COS was not incorporated until January 25, 1964, by Ex-
ecutive Instrument No. 17, which stipulated in Section 1 (2) that the organization
should consist, besides the Director and four other members to be appointed by
Dr. Nkrumah, the President of Ghana.
14 PRAAD, Accra, ADM 13/1/29, Cabinet Minutes August 19 1960.
15 Samuel Obeng: 26-27.
16 Tibo: 6.
17 Tibo: 6.
 Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana 65

COS. Also as part of Ohene Djan’s “programme of mass participation”,

Secondary Schools and training Colleges, everywhere in Ghana were
placed into one massive Federation to serve as nurseries to feed national
teams in the various sports.18 To give football a nationwide appeal, the
size of the national football league doubled from eight teams to sixteen
and new stadia were built. Under Nkrumah also, Ghana, for the first time,
practiced the relegation and promotion of teams from lower to higher di-
visions.19 Also in 1960, Ohene Djan formed the Real Republikans as a
model club, taking two top players from each football team so as to have
the top national stars play together regularly. With this, Ghana formed a
strong national football team to be ready for continental assignments at
the shortest notice.20
With boxing, the COS appointed Mr. Surpriser Sowah as the National
Boxing Coach to help organize bouts to discover potential national box-
ers.21 Mr. Eugene Thomas Hart, an American, who was the National Ath-
letics Coach in 1960 was assisted by EC Nyarko, who later became the
National Athletics coach in 1964. In Tennis, T. B. Maison was appointed
Executive Secretary, and DG Hathiramani was appointed national Coach.
Other appointments were Mrs. Theodosia Okoh, as chairperson of the
Ghana Hockey Federation in 1960, Edward Acquah as manager of the
Black Stars, the national football team, and Coach Ember as national soc-
cer coach. Ohene Djan’s approach to forming a national team was to first
form a group made up of skillful and talented students identified in var-
ious schools, colleges and universities. This group, which later became
the Academicals became the cradle of soccer in Ghana.
The occasion for forming the national soccer team was in October 1960
after a poor performance of the Ghana National Team in Lagos on Octo-
ber 10, 1960. The COS decided to re-organize the team by including young
and new talents. The name Black Stars was chosen to give more inspira-
tion to the group and to symbolize the spirit of African Personality which
was then being forcefully stressed by Nkrumah.22 Under Ohene Djan, the
Black Stars trained first under Andreas Sjöberg, a Swedish coach, on Oc-
tober 17, 1960 and to expose the boys to international competition foreign
football matches were organized for them.
Through Ohene Djan’s dynamism also, he became a member of the
Confederation of African Football (CAF) and overnight propelled the

18 Tibo: 8.
19 Ken Bediako 18-19.
20 Bediako: 18.
21 Daily Graphic Jan 19, 1966:11.
22 Kojo Vieta: 100 Flagbearers of Ghana: 570.
66 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

country into effective leadership of the continental body. He represented

Africa at FIFA as the first vice-president of CAF. Ohene Djan eventually
became a ‘valued member of the international council, a clear thinker and
a lucid argumentator…’, a man with a firm grip of problems associated
with football promotion and development and a useful asset to football
development in Africa.23
In 1965, Mr Djan proposed to arrange at the earliest moment, a spe-
cial sports contest to be held in Ghana in which prominent sportsmen of
African descent in America, West Indies and other parts of the world
would be invited. This was to inspire and encourage Ghanaians and Af-
ricans generally in efforts to establish the African personality in its en-
tirety.24 The main purpose of his sports competitions was to ‘bring the
youths of West Africa together under the canopy of a healthy football
competition.’25
He wanted Ghana not just to be numbered among the best in the
world of sport, but he wanted to use international sports competitions to
provide the basis for mutual understanding which could assist in the re-
alization of unity in Africa.26 He believed that the youth of Africa, by
meeting together in the field of sports in one another’s country, would
learn what our elders were prevented from learning – which was that all
Africans are brothers with a common destiny.27 Towards that objective,
Nkrumah donated the Gold Cup for the West African football competi-
tion. He announced his intention to promote an African Olympiad to host
athletes in Africa and elsewhere so as to lay a foundation of a new move-
ment to bring all Africa together in the field of sports.28 Nkrumah believed
that through sports Ghana could compete with countries far and near and
win matches and competitions. By defeating other countries, many Gha-
naians would be proud of Ghana, and other countries would know
Ghana’s abilities. Accordingly, the COS engaged in many international
games, including annual games with Nigeria. Ghana played famous foot-
ball clubs at home and abroad and invited renowned sportsmen to
Ghana.
Welcoming the Black Stars group back from a European tour in 1961,
John Ofori-Atta, editor of the Pan-African Sports magazine wrote:

23 See Kojo Vieta: 570. This was part of Sir Russ’ assessment of Ohene Djan.
24 Samuel Obeng: 24.
25 Samuel Obeng: 23.
26 Samuel Obeng: 27.
27 Samuel Obeng: 27.
28 Samuel Obeng: 27.
 Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana 67

The Black Stars…have carried the force of African inspiration into the heart
of Europe…But the performance of the Black Stars on the European tour
must be viewed from the right perspective. For soccer reorganization in
Ghana dates back only a few years (about four years) when Ohene Djan’s
administration assumed office and threw body and soul into creating an
effective soccer force capable of representing the “Black Continent.”29

Before the Republikans was formed Nkrumah send a directive to

Ohene Djan on June 12 ,1960, which perhaps, best tells of his love for soc-
cer. He wrote,

my interest in soccer is so great that I propose in the near future the for-
mation of a model club which will offer leadership and inspiration of clubs
in the country. This club shall be known as Ghana Republicans to com-
memorate the launching of your three-year development plan in the year
of our republic.30

His premier model club which he fondly called Osagyefo’s Own-Club

(OOC) and the national football team, the Black Stars, soon propelled
Ghana unto the international soccer scene when in 1961 and 1963, the
Black Stars won the West African soccer competition and the “Gold Cup”
donated by Nkrumah. In 1963, the group won the Africa Cup of Nations
and successfully defended it in Tunis, Tunisia in 1965. Under Ohene Djan,
the Black Stars also qualified and participated in the Olympic Games for
the first time in 1964. Ghanaian boxers also won awards, including two
Gold and four Silver Medals.
H. P. Nyametei, a respected sports administrator, stated in 1968 that,
‘if Ohene Djan had remained in office a little longer, a world record would
have been set by the ace sprinter, Stan Allotey at the 1968 Mexico Olympic
Games’. Kojo Vieta (2002) asserts that of the total of thirty-seven (12 Gold,
13 Silver and 3 Bronze) Commonwealth Games Medals won by Ghana as
at 1992, half that number (8 Gold, 7 Silver and 3 Bronze) were earned dur-
ing Ohene Djan’s six-year period as Director of Sports. Two of the coun-
try’s four Olympic Medals were also won during his tenure.31 Djan was
preparing the Black Stars for greater honours in the 1968 Olympic Games
when the CPP Government was overthrown and as expected, the NLC

29 Vieta, Flagbearers: 571.

30 Vieta, Flagbearers: 588.
31 Vieta: 570.
68 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

subjected sports administration to total scrutiny including audit investi-

gations.32

Audit investigations
On 16 March 1966, the Audit Service was commissioned in compliance
with NLC Decree No 12 to investigate the accounts of the COS from Oc-
tober 1960 to March 1966.33 Buah (1980) asserts that the military leaders
who overthrew Nkrumah did not give accused persons enough oppor-
tunity to defend themselves and that most of the accusations were un-
founded.34 Yet issues that came up to the public domain following the
investigation of Mr. Djan and the COS were quite revealing. The Audit
found out that there were no written administrative or financial directives
to guide the director and so certain records essential for financial control
were never kept and this led to a breakdown in the control of the organi-
zation’s finances.35 Also, before the introduction of the Entertainments
Duty Tax Act in 1963, which vested in the Commissioner of Income Tax
responsibility for the issuing of tickets to all forms of public entertain-
ment, the COS engaged both private printers and the State Publishing
Corporation to print its tickets. This made it difficult to detect the circula-
tion of fake tickets.36 In addition, the COS abolished the “reserve-seat”
system introduced by the first Sports Council. This system had ensured
that no two tickets bore the same serial number and also, tickets in circu-
lation corresponded with the numbered seats. Abolishing the system
therefore created an avenue for the loss of revenue.37
Concerning income and expenditure, the Audit observed the COS de-
rived its huge funds from gate proceeds, sale of sporting equipment, and
registration of players, amounting to £94, 213 17s 5d in 1960-61 to £123,526
8s 1d, in 1961-62. In all, by 1966, regular total Central Government grants
amounted to £553,334 11s 8d or NC1,106,668. The total expenditure was
also high and ranged from £196,259,16s 9d in 1960-61 to £213,663 12s 1d
in 1964 with COS spending hugely, an amount of £217,897 4s 8d in 1961-
62 only. Also, the COS always recorded huge deficits with the highest of
£111,663 12s 1d in 1963-64.38

32 Vieta: 570 and 589.

33 University of Ghana, Balme Library, Dp/GV673.G5 blar C.1 Report on the Audit
Investigations into the Accounts of the Central Organization of Sport 5th July 1967.
34 Buah, A History of Ghana: 190.
35 Audit Report: 1.
36 Audit: 1.
37 Audit: 2.
38 Audit: 2.
 Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana 69

Audit worried that although a financial procedure of some sort was

followed, the system was not embodied in any written directives, which
caused haphazard keeping of financial records. Djan made no provision
to approve estimates or control expenditure. The Director had an ‘abso-
lute free hand to incur expenditure to any extent and for any purpose
whatsoever.’39 And indeed, he often organized expensive banquets, cost-
ing £820 2s 0d, or more. The inclusion of non-participating persons in
touring teams for reasons which were personal rather than official, and
the spending of £9330 16s 1d on the production of the Pan-African Sports-
man magazine out of which, only £2217 14s 4d was realized in sales were
some of the cases of reckless expenditure. On one occasion Djan and an-
other person flew to London just ‘to purchase clothing for the Olympic
Contingent’.40 The Nkrumah government also was notorious for the ar-
bitrary distribution of bonuses and other prizes to selected sportsmen.
The Audit report on the COS’ regional offices at Cape Coast, Sunyani
and Kumasi revealed comparable anomalies. For example, the record of
tickets received at the Sunyani office between 29 February 1964 and 13
June 1965, showed a shortage of 653 tickets of 2s 6d denomination. Be-
sides, out of a book balance of 2856 tickets, only 2203 were handed over
to Mr. K. N. Nketia when he took over the administration of the Sunyani
office from Mr. Antwi and Mr Diabour.41 The 85-page Report also re-
vealed cases of fraud, losses and serious financial irregularities, wasteful
expenditure, arbitrarily award of contracts, and loss of control over offi-
cial transport. There was loss of control over COS’ properties, rent and
stores and sports equipment. In view of these financial anomalies, Audit
recommended that action must be taken by the police to arrest some offi-
cials of COS to account for the losses and to assist to retrieve lost monies.42
Audit concluded that the COS indulged in several dubious financial
transactions. The machinery for the collection of revenue was extremely
weak, thereby facilitating fraudulent practices.43
Mr. Djan was asked to refund £1,536 13s. 4d overpayment. He was to
refund £372 8s 0d on passage, £51 13s 0d, expended on behalf of his wife
from public funds, £2,864 11s 9d that he spent on COS vehicles used by
him, and he was to return a refrigerator and other items to the COS.44

39 Audit: 4.
40 Audit: 4.
41 Audit: 27.
42 Audit: 31. See also Auditor-General’s Confidential Letter of 5th July 1967 to the

Chairman of the National Liberation Council on p: v of Audit Report.

43 See Confidential Letter. The COS’s accounts for 1964-65 and 1965-66 had not yet

been compiled and submitted for audit as of July 1967.

44 Audit: 30-31.
70 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

With this thorough investigation of the CPP regime, a financial document

was provided to guide future sports administrators for prudent financial
administration.

The Tibo Committee

Apart from the Audit investigation, Mr. A.K. Deku, Commissioner for
Police (CID) and NLC member responsible for Education and Sports, set
up the Tibo Committee during a meeting of Club representatives from all
over Ghana held at the Accra Sports stadium on 1 March 1967. It was to
undertake a review of Ordinance No 14 of 1952, which established the
Gold Coast Amateur Sports Council; to scrutinize the provisions of the
Executive Instrument No 17 of 1964 and it was to recommend to the NLC
Member responsible for Sports the most appropriate legal instrument for
the future of Ghana sports. It was to examine the existing structure of the
COS, to ascertain if it was truly representative of the whole country and
of the Sports Associations. It was to recommend COS future structure,
constitution and membership, the best method for improving all levels of
sports in Ghana and it was to make any other recommendations consid-
ered important.45
Submitting its Report, the Tibo Committee observed that Ghana must
immediately establish an effective machinery to promote, organize and
administer sports. This would help to restore self-confidence, provide a
new sense of direction and dynamism, and introduce the practice of fair
play, self-discipline and a daring to do sport. They described their recom-
mendations as ‘providing a firm basis for the re-organization of sports in
Ghana,’ and hoped that a competent and dynamic body would imple-
ment them so as to set high standards, foster amateurism and above all,
strive to attain financial self-sufficiency.46

45 University of Ghana, Balme Library I/Dp/GV668.G3G34 Africana Cases, The

Tibo Committee Report on Ghana Sports August 28, 1967. Membership of the Com-
mittee were Mr. A. A. Tibo, Chairman Expediting Committee, (Chairman), Mrs.
Genevieve Easmon, Housewife and chairman of the Amateur Lawn Tennis Asso-
ciation, (Member), Dr. Yaw Nkansa-Gyane, Medical Practitioner and chairman of
the Medical Commission, (Member), Mr. A. K. Konuah, Headmaster, Accra
Academy; Member of the COS Board and Chairman of the Schools and Colleges
Sports Federation, (Member), Lt. Kenneth Obeng, Physical Education Instructor,
Ghana Military Academy, (Member), Mr. George Harlley, Director, National
Productivity Center, (Member), Mr. D.G. Reid, First Secretary, British High Com-
mission, (Member), Mr. W.T. Marbell, Director of Sports, (Member), Mr. Francis
Selormey, Writer, Ghana Film Industry Corporation, (Member/Secretary), and
Mr. J. S. Wontumi, Administrative Officer, COS, (Joint Secretary).
46 Tibo: 3.
 Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana 71

Concerning financial assistance to clubs, the Tibo Committee ob-

served that Mr. Djan unilaterally selected sporting clubs that qualified for
assistance in the form of money grant and equipment from the COS. De-
spite this, it was only on one occasion that the Director made a NC200
grant to each of these sporting clubs.47
Regarding income and expenditure to the COS, the committee ob-
served that COS obtained its major sources of income from average an-
nual gate earnings and other sources of income, amounting to NC265,058
from 1962 to 1965 and an average annual government subvention
amounting to NC145,130. Of these amounts, the average total expendi-
ture of the COS was NC 410,108. In 1965 alone, the organization spent
about NC 485,456.48 Due to the huge expenditure, the COS was heavily
indebted to several organizations and firms to the tune of NC27, 646.85;
and it had a bank overdraft of NC60, 000.00 incurred in 1964 only.49
Besides, Djan did not provide funds to the regional organizers of COS
and the basis of promotion and salary increments were described as hap-
hazard. COS also had no clearly defined terms and conditions of service
for employees, and no properly laid down salary scales. The Director’s
policies were known only to himself and organizers could be removed at
any time without any means of appeal.50 Mr. Djan was said to have taken
capricious decisions, he appointed his relatives mainly, he was partial in
his appointment of officers, and distributed cash among his Press sup-
porters only.51
Until 1964 when governments Legislative Instrument legalized Mr.
Djan’s administration, the COS had no legal basis and was controlled by
verbal directives from Nkrumah or Djan. Although, the 1964 instrument
officially established the COS as a Body Corporate to consist of the Direc-
tor and four other persons as Department Heads, these appointments
were never made and this made Ohene Djan to wield so much power and
autocracy in directing sports.52
The Tibo Committee concluded that although Ohene Djan’s era rec-
orded some successes, it was marked by maladministration, corruption
and intrigue. The Director built up the largest staff establishment of paid
officials in Ghana’s sports history. The sale of tickets at matches was a
racket, he made no efforts to provide adequate playing fields and facilities

47 Tibo: 6.
48 Tibo: 7.
49 Tibo: 7.
50 Tibo: 7.
51 Tibo: 8.
52 Tibo: 9.
72 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

in the country and existing stadia and fields received no attention. The
sleeping quarters at the Accra Sports Stadium for instance, were filthy and
hardly habitable.53 With these in-depth and extensive investigations,
many hoped for drastic positive changes in sports administration and or-
ganization in the post-Nkrumah era.

The administrative crisis

In the course of the Audit investigations, the NLC accused Ohene Djan of
running a one-man show and sought to introduce sports administration
along democratic lines. On April 7, 1966, General Ankrah, leader of the
NLC, dismissed Ohene Djan as director of sports. He was accused of rob-
bing sporting clubs of their initiative and unduly restricting their free-
dom. The NLC envisaged that his dismissal would pave the way for the
establishment of a new administration to check administrative and organ-
izational lapses and prevent over-centralization and too much regimen-
tation.54 To the General, a new administration was needed to produce
young men and women imbued with the spirit of healthy competition,
perseverance and courage to help rebuild Ghana. A new administration
would encourage Ghanaian youth to participate in sports to develop their
talents and competences.55
In place of Mr. Djan, the NLC appointed Mr. W. T. Marbell, a 63-year
old retired educationist, who was described as “an all-round sportsman”,
to reorganize COS on ‘better and more democratic lines.’ At the age of
fourteen in 1923, Marbell played football for Accra Standfast until 1935.
He also played hockey, lawn tennis, cricket and rugby and was an active
member of the Ghana Amateur Athletics Association (GAAA).56 Marbell
himself believed that imagination, organizational ability and the readi-
ness and willingness to consult and co-operate with sporting bodies were
the qualities which constituted the pillars on which Ghana sports could
be firmly built. He asked for goodwill and co-operation from fans and
athletes in the reformation of sports in Ghana.57

53 PRAAD, Accra, RG 9/1/10. Report on the Audit Investigations into the Accounts of
the Central Organization of Sport: 16-17.
54 Daily Graphic, April 9 1966: 1. See also Daily Graphic, April 15 1967: 11. The Foot-

ball Referees Association described Ohene Djan as ‘an autocrat and a perfect rep-
lica of tyrant Nkrumah.’ They claimed that under Nkrumah, they were subjected
to indignities and insults from players and fans. They faced possible detention if
they ventured to apply the correct rules or failed to favour selected teams.
55 Daily Graphic, April 9 1966: 1.
56 Daily Graphic, April 15, 1966: 1.
57 Daily Graphic, April 15, 1966: 1.
 Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana 73

In pursuit of his objective, Marbell appointed a consultative board of

five, including himself, to administer sports.58 He reconstituted the vari-
ous sports bodies operating under the COS and renamed the federations
as associations for each to comprise twelve instead of seven nominees.
Few months into his appointment however, many cases of administrative
lapses occurred. For example, on 4 July 1966, Mr. Marbell travelled to
London to participate in the World Cup series AFC and FIFA meetings
and later went to Kingston as leader of the Ghana contingent of athletes
and boxers to the 1966 Commonwealth Games.
On his return from Kingston in August, he fell out with members of
his Board over gate proceeds to football clubs. Press criticisms intensified
and he came into conflict with football clubs. On November 23, after a
meeting with league clubs, GAFA and COS, Marbell decided to reduce
COS’ share of gate proceeds from 30 to 25 percent to provide revenue to
the clubs. The disagreement among the administrative bodies, culmi-
nated in the withdrawal of Cornerstone, Brong-Ahafo United, Great
Ashantis and Asante Kotoko from the national football league on 29 No-
vember 1966, because most of their players in state-owned organizations
such as the Farmers Council and the Workers’ Brigade were laid off after
the February 1966 coup and ‘government had failed to solve their unem-
ployment problems.’59
Some authors of letters and articles in the daily newspapers believed
that the new director was dictatorial, he took unilateral decisions and per-
petuated the “evils” of the Ohene Djan administration.60 Some other per-
sons described him as incompetent and lacking organizational ability.61
In Kumasi, Marbell was accused of reneging in the payment of accumu-
lated arrears of ¢7963.80p of land rate and water rate amounting to
¢1320.60p to the Kumasi City Council.62
Marbell also displayed what one sportswriter described as ‘a mark of
Marbell’s incompetence’ when his administration cancelled the sched-

58 It was mainly expected to approve decisions of the various sports federations of

the COS.
59 Bediako: 35
60 Daily Graphic, January 18 1967. This was especially the case with the Real Re-

publikans, Horizons, the Academicals and other model teams. Many players/ath-
letes were mistreated after the February 1966 coup. Crentsil and ten other foot-
ballers were kept in prison custody for one year because they played for Nkru-
mah’s model clubs.
61 This appeared mainly in letters to the national newspapers.
62 Daily Graphic, February 14, 11. Part of the cost was however inherited from the

Ohene Djan administration, incurred since 1964.

74 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

uled African Clubs Soccer Championship game between the Asante Ko-
toko football club and Saint Lousienne Club of Senegal without informing
the general public. As expected, the press, and sports fans across West
Africa were surprised about this decision and accused Marbell of causing
total chaos in sports administration. Nelson, a columnist of the Daily
Graphic newspaper wrote,

When the present head teacher Marbell took over, there was no adminis-
trative structure to work on. But instead of him getting down to work to
improve the conditions, he has allowed himself to be advised by some bo-
gus experts with the results that there is now chaos in sports organisation
in the country. He drove away men with administrative capacities and
brought in his favourites who can hardly do anything right.63

G. W. Amarteifio, chairman of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Associa-

tion (GABA), also accused COS and Marbell of reneging in financial obli-
gations to the Association. On this matter, the sports director blamed gov-
ernment for the delays in approving COS’ estimates and lack of good li-
aison between government and the COS.64 He claimed that COS lacked
financial autonomy and often borrowed from government to pay some of
its bills which created organizational problems. For instance, an interna-
tional contest between the Ghana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA)
and their Togo counterparts was nearly cancelled because COS delayed
in sponsoring the trip of the Ghanaian contingent to Togo. Government
provided funding after it had held several meetings with the boxing as-
sociation.65
The Nigerian Football Association (NFA), in particular, was very dis-
pleased with Marbell’s administration, because of the ‘slow administra-
tive bottlenecks and indecisions,’ especially in replying letters from the
West African Football Federation (WAFF).66 For them, Marbell’s admin-
istration only engaged in printing and selling brochures filled with rules
governing football competitions already known to members of the WAFF
at very high cost.67 The NFA asked him to check his office’s ability to or-
ganise competitions. In 1967, Ghana could not pay its annual dues,

63 Daily Graphic, March 17 1967: 11.

64 Daily Graphic, June 3 1967: 11.
65 Daily Graphic May 30 1967: 11.
66 In early February 1967, the NFA accused Marbell of slowness of his administra-

tion in replying letters.

67 Daily Graphic, August 11 1967: 11.
 Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana 75

amounting to ¢7200, to the WAFF and for the first time since 1937, the
WAFF tournament was cancelled.
Amidst these accusations, Marbell signed a contract with a British
Coach to help improve the standard of soccer in Ghana. Because he took
the decision without consulting the Executive Committee of Soccer
Coaches, they described it as an insult to their integrity and another way
of telling them that they were incapable of winning laurels for Ghana.68
In an apparent reference to Marbell’s alleged incompetence the coaches
stressed that, ‘without imaginative planning and good leadership, a coach
from even the moon could produce little or no results’.69 By early 1967,
Marbell’s plans to organize hockey, cricket and long tennis competitions
had been unsuccessful. When in February 1968, the Black Stars lost a foot-
ball match against Cameroun, the general Ghanaian public blamed it on
the Marbell administration’s low incentive to sportsmen which had
caused low morale among players during camping. Many asked the COS
to explain the causes of the defeat.
In addition, the perquisites which Mr. Djan accorded some top ath-
letes ceased after the 1966 coup and the vacuum created by the removal
of Ohene Djan led to intrigues and the struggle for power among person-
nel of the COS and some sporting personalities. As the Tibo committee
observed, ‘all these must have contributed to undermine morale and dis-
cipline among players, the staff of COS and sports fans in Ghana’.70 The
committee attributed this to the ‘symptoms of a decaying organization
which became evident with the removal of the first Director’.71 Many wor-
ried that Ghana sports had become chaotic and was not improving in the
newly won atmosphere of freedom. They worried that Ghana was losing
its place in African and world sports and asked for solutions.72
Whiles admitting that the COS often lacked funds to work with, the
Tibo Committee also observed that Marbell did not inspire confidence.
He had insufficient drive and initiative for the stupendous task of reor-
ganizing sports. He was unable to appreciate and understand the prob-
lems in sports and could not take effective measures to solve problems.73
Regarding Marbell’s administration, the Tibo committee revealed that,
the Sports Board he had established, proposed a new administrative

68 Daily Graphic, August 13 1967: 11. At the time, no foreign coach had been suc-
cessful in raising a Ghanaian athletic team to qualify for the Olympic Games.
69 Daily Graphic, January 17 1967.
70 Tibo: 10.
71 Tibo: 2.
72 Tibo: 2-3.
73 Tibo: 9.
76 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

structure which he never implemented and rather run the affairs of the
Board and COS concurrently.74 Accordingly the chaos in which the COS
was when Marbell took up office lingered on with criticisms from all
quarters leading to complete unrest, dissatisfaction and confusion in the
COS itself.75 To the Committee, Marbell did not seem to understand mod-
ern sports and its organization.76
In February 1968, just a week after the Ghana-Cameroun match and
possibly as a result of the Tibo Committee’s uncharitable remarks, Mar-
bell, the Sports Director, was dismissed and a new sports board, compris-
ing fifteen members, was formed to organize amateur sports in Ghana.
Unlike the Nkrumah era when only Djan was the Director of sports, the
NLC, within the three years in office, appointed four Directors of sports
including, W. T. Marbell, S. G. Ayi Bonte, Cartey Caesar and Francis
Selormey.
In the post-Nkrumah era also, there were cases of animosity, mistrust,
hatred and suspicion between departmental heads and some directors.
For example, Selormey allegedly took away jobs from some heads of de-
partment in his efforts to exercise control over affairs of the secretariat.77
He unilaterally demoted J. J. Janney, from Head of Department, to officer
in charge of sports facilities and equipment, and demoted him again to
officer responsible for labourers and maintenance of stadiums and
pitches.78 The sports council also lacked a laid down system of promotion
for coaches and this caused the trading of accusations of favouritism at
the secretariat.
Some people saw Selormey as a puppet of the NLC leadership, alleg-
ing that his appointment was based on public opinion or deceit. In 1969,
Nelson Ofori, a sportswriter of the Daily Graphic called for the dissolu-
tion of the Selormey administration, because he and other sports officials
were ‘incompetent men who were appointed on the basis of high-sound-
ing theories they had propounded.’ He believed that their selection was
not based on competence but because they presented unrealistic sports
development plans.79 Anti-NLC sportswriters blamed Selormey for stag-
nating sports and consistently requested government to appoint people

74 Tibo: 9.
75 Tibo: 10.
76 Tibo: 10.
77 Selormey was himself, once a subordinate to some of the workers, but since his

assumption to power, he took steps to impose himself on them.

78 Daily Graphic, June 9 1971: 6-7.
79 Daily Graphic, March 12 1969: 11. He alleged that they did not know much

about the intricacies of sports administration and so their so-called masterpieces

often failed to work.
 Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana 77

with competence as administrators.80 One sportswriter believed that

Ghana sports needed ‘somebody with a store of experience in sports ad-
ministration – a respectable chief executive with international standing
and a person who knew about the problems facing Ghana sports and
could find solutions to them.’81
Administrators and government officials themselves were reckless
with the organization of sports. For example, when Mr. Deku confirmed
GAFA’s position as the sole organising body of international and local
football matches in April 1967, he strangely also approved the recognition
of COS as the main body responsible for financial administration and the
technical aspects for the promotion of football.82 COS was advised to ap-
point a senior officer to work exclusively for GAFA, to start a training
scheme for its technical employees and to take over from local authorities
the administration of the existing stadia at Takoradi, Sunyani and Tamale.

Organizational issues
The NLC’s programme to re-organize sports began few days after the
1966 coup, when the Real Republikans, Sekondi Hassacas, Academicals
and other existing model clubs were all dissolved. The Farmers Council,
Builders Brigade and the Service Corps, which also employed sportsmen
and women were dissolved. In response, some football players in Kumasi
threatened to stop playing because COS had ignored their welfare and
was rather, more interested in collecting monies from them. They wanted
GAFA, instead of the COS to be entrusted with football administration.83
In fact, players of the Kumasi Asante Kotoko football club who played in
the Black Stars, Ghana’s national football team, threatened to boycott all
football matches organized by COS, if the organization did not intervene
to find jobs for players. They argued that their sweat and toil provided
COS and government with about 45 percent monthly emoluments.84 In-
stead of training, sportsmen spent their time looking for jobs. Addo

80 They wanted the NLC to be adjudged on the basis of what Ghanaians had
asked them to do – a reformation.
81 Nelson’s opponents believed that critics of the NLC administration, were

wrong because the NLC had a specific task – of evolving a new machinery, which
would provide the right atmosphere, conducive for sports to flourish.
82 The Ghanaian Times, February 10 1967: 15.
83 Daily Graphic, January 17 1967: 11. See also Daily Graphic, December 21 1967: 11-

12 and Daily Graphic, September 26 1967: 11.

84 This comprised 25% to government and 45% to COS. The clubs argued that it

was unfair to go on an empty stomach because they contributed so handsomely

to the nation’s treasury. On his part, General Ankra of the NLC, wanted people to
be circumspect with news about Ghana’s sports development. He believed that
78 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

Twum comments that the pathetic plight of sportsmen contrasted sharply

with sports administration in the Nkrumah era when athletes worked as-
siduously to retain their membership in the Black Stars, and those outside
worked laboriously to gain admission into it because the team was a spe-
cially privileged group in which every member was fully employed.85
Also, unlike Ohene Djan, Marbell and the executive members of
GAFA did not visit athletes who camped to prepare for matches. Athletes
ate distasteful meals during camping and in many cases bought their own
training equipment.86 At the same time, athletes who travelled from Ku-
masi and other towns to train in Accra bore their own transport ex-
penses.87 Athletes in the immediate post-1966 coup attributed their unim-
pressive performances to joblessness, neglect and lack of moral leadership
from the COS and the GAFA.
In their protests against the state of joblessness and to register their
frustration, Asante Kotoko, Corners and Great Ashantis withdrew from
the 1966/67 national football league. They would not continue playing
unless the NLC government and Marbell found the players jobs. In view
of these developments, people attributed abysmal performance of the
Black Stars and other team to the change of administrators.
As a solution to problems in the central organization of sports, the
Tibo Committee observed that Ghana needed, almost immediately, an ef-
fective machinery to promote, organize and to administer sports in order
to restore self-confidence. Similarly, in 1968, the NLC observed that the
Executive Instrument No.17 of 1964, which established the COS, made the
organization work as a one-man business and this had prevented delib-
erations on the COS’s activities and caused monies, which should have

journalists were not helping in sports development by carelessly publishing un-

substantiated allegations and assertions about sports. At the laying of the founda-
tion stone for the Hearts football team’s Club House, he cautioned journalists not
to disrupt sports programmes through their publications but cooperate with gov-
ernment to ensure the success of the sports re-organization programme.
85 Daily Graphic April 12 1971: 11. To restructure the Black Stars, Djaba requested

clubs to inform GAFA about the plight of former Black Stars players to enable
him find jobs for the unemployed ones among them. He wanted fairness in the
selection of players, alleging that Black Stars players had since the coup been se-
lected not by performing extraordinarily as in Ohene Djan’s time, but based on
favouritism. Also see Daily Graphic, March 3 1967: 11. Mr. Tibo became the head
of the Sports Council in 1968. See Daily Graphic, February 3 1968: 11.
86 Daily Graphic, January 17 1967: 11.
87 Daily Graphic, January 17 1967: 11.
 Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana 79

been spent on maintaining playing fields and stadiums in the regions to

be diverted for other uses.88
In view of the problems caused by the simultaneous existence of COS
and the Sports Board, Mr. Deku introduced a new administrative policy
in 1968, which abolished the simultaneous existence of both the Eastern
European (COS) and Western European (Sports Council), systems. He es-
tablished a new sports council with himself as Chairman and Selormey as
Chief Executive, vested with full powers to handle matters relating to
Ghana’s sports. Justifying the NLC’s adoption of the Western model of
sports administration for Ghana, Deku argued that although their crea-
tion was laudable, running the COS and the former Sports Council con-
currently was cumbersome and their contribution to the development of
sports was insufficient to help in Ghana’s sports development.89 Whereas
an effective machinery was accomplished with the establishment of the
Sports Council in 1968, and a new administrative structure was intro-
duced in sports administration, the COS was not dissolved but was reor-
ganized and restructured as a subsidiary of the Sports Council.
Another challenge that confronted sports administrators in the organ-
ization of sports occurred in 1967 when the football league was sus-
pended. A committee headed by Mr. Fredua Mensah was appointed to
find the causes of the troubles in the organization of football in Ghana.
His committee was to discuss the immediate and remote causes for prob-
lems in sports organization and to draw conclusions. It was to advise gen-
erally on the welfare of footballers in Ghana and on other matters which,
in the opinion of the Committee were important for the future success of
Ghana’s football organization.90 Despite reconstituting the GAFA as the
Fredua Mensah Committee recommended, the rift between the COS and
the football clubs persisted. In the Tibo Committees observation, the COS
continued to be inept, sports competitions almost came to a standstill,
standards started falling and there was no money to organize football.91
The COS also made no efforts to maintain prudent financial admin-
istration. For example, in matches played in Tamale, in northern Ghana,
the council obtained merely NC200-300 in gate proceeds, but paid
NC1400 or more as air transport fares.92 As a result of this, by late 1967,
the COS secretariat owed huge amounts of money to transport and hotel

88 Daily Graphic: 7.
89 The Ghanaian Times, July 13 1968: 16.
90 Tibo: 10.
91 Tibo: 10.
92 Daily Graphic, June 22 1971: 11.
80 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

operators.93 Sometimes, ex-footballers without accounting skills were as-

signed as accounts officers of the Sports Council and ticket sellers were
recruited from outside the secretariat. These took no measures to monitor
monies collected at the stadium gates. Under Marbell, for example, gate
proceeds were first sent to him before they were deposited at the bank.
Where tickets were issued, there were no counterfoils to support such
payments.94 This enabled monies collected at the gates to be diverted by
individuals.
Regarding discipline, the NLC period did not depart from the well-
known problem of invasion of pitches, physical and verbal attacks on of-
ficials and the boycott of matches. Like the pre-NLC era, fans would often
vent their anger on government, sports authorities or teams with impu-
nity. For example, when the Sports Council cancelled the African Nations
qualifying match between Ghana and Burkina Faso in 1969 and failed to
inform the general public about it, the eagerly-awaiting spectators at the
stadium protested violently against the hurriedly arranged match be-
tween Kotoko and a Black Stars team of veterans and reserve players of
some second division league clubs. Few minutes into the match, fans ve-
hemently protested, booed, threw objects at some of the players and in-
vaded the pitch to end the game.95
Relations between sporting clubs, associations and the COS therefore
deteriorated during the NLC era and this prevented close and harmoni-
ous co-operation between club officials and COS and hindered effective
organization of the country’s sporting activities and programmes. These
organizational problems began in May 1966, when Marbell arbitrarily
fixed local derbies to prepare athletes for the Olympic Games without
consulting the National League Clubs Association (NLCA), which had
opposed this proposal. The NLCA did not want the Kumasi-based clubs,
including Asante Kotoko, Great Ashanti or Corners to play each other, or
for Hearts of Oak and Olympics football teams based in Accra to play
each other. Contrary to assurances to a delegation sent to him to rearrange
the teams, Marbell maintained his position. The NLCA saw Marbell as
the major obstacle to the re-organization of sports in Ghana and success-
fully convinced its members to boycott the matches. It held that Marbell
was perpetrating unilateral decisions in the same manner as Ohene Djan.
Sporting clubs accused Marbell of dictating to them and devising policies
that had blurred their functions vis-à-vis that of COS.

93 Daily Graphic, September 30 1969: 11.

94 Daily Graphic, April 20 1968: 11.
95 Daily Graphic, July 3 1966: 11.
 Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana 81

Also, when a dispute ensued between the NLFA and GAFA, Marbell
appointed himself to the office of Executive Secretary of GAFA, hoping
that this would end the dispute and facilitate administration. Displeased
with this interference in GAFA affairs, the NLCA appealed to the COS to
advice Marbell to refrain from meddling in the football association’s af-
fairs because clubs dissented it and were getting confused.
Disputes within and between sports administrators also intensified in
the post-1966 era. For example, in early July 1966, the COS asked all
league clubs to direct their complaints and communications to the Ghana
Amateur Football Association (GAFA) because it was ‘the only legally
constituted body entrusted to run and control football league competi-
tions in Ghana’.96 In April 1967, the National League Clubs Association
(NLCA) withdrew its representatives from the GAFA claiming that the
latter was undemocratically composed. It wanted COS to appoint a four-
man committee with representatives from COS, associations and clubs to
run GAFA and resolved to bypass GAFA and deal directly with the COS
on all matters concerning football if it failed to do this. The dispute per-
sisted until March 1968, when the NLCA called on the Sports Council to
grant it, with immediate effect, exclusive control over the administration
and management of association football throughout Ghana as demanded
by FIFA Article 1 sub-section 2.97
Again, when crisis developed in the organization of the national foot-
ball league in 1968, the NLCA gave GAFA a one week ultimatum to meet
to discuss the best way to complete the football league. Before the meeting
took place, Nyemitei, chairman of the NLCA, unilaterally reduced the
number of clubs that could qualify to play in the first division football
league, and this began a protracted dispute between the GAFA and
NLCA.
For several months in 1969, many wondered whether the COS, GAFA
or sport directors were responsible for running the Ghana football league.
In March 1969, the NLCA called on the Sports Council to grant it exclusive
control of the administration and management of football throughout
Ghana, in accordance with FIFA regulations.98 Addo Twum, a sports jour-
nalist, asserts that the basic terms in the formation of Ghana’s Football
Association (FA) were wrong because some members of the regional foot-
ball associations were excluded from the national football association.

96 Daily Graphic, July 2 1966: 11

97 Daily Graphic, March 1 1968: 11.
98 Daily Graphic, September 19 1969: 11. GAFA’s struggle for total autonomy and

control of its affairs would cause more problems in sports administration after
1969.
82 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

The result of all this was increased tension between the COS, GAFA,
NLCA and similar associations during the era of the NLC.
The NLC era also appears to have witnessed the apparent abuse of
office by some administrators of football in Ghana. Testifying before the
Justice Annan committee in 1970, Kartey Caesar, former deputy director
of the Sports Council, alleged that, Selormey, initially excluded him in
decision-making and subsequently used clauses in the NLC Decree 330 to
wrongly dismiss him as deputy director, member of the NOC and mem-
ber of the Sports Council.99 Selormey side-lined him during Sports Coun-
cil and NOC meetings, and the Director of Sports never supported his
proposals.100 In the COS itself, the arbitrary use of power enabled the di-
rector to cancel the tour of Stoke City to Ghana in 1968, without any tan-
gible reason. The sports council also lacked a laid down system of promo-
tion for coaches and this caused the trading of accusations of favouritism
at the secretariat.
The biggest problem in sports administration in Ghana, in this period,
namely, direct government interference in sports, which began under
Ohene Djan in early 1960, also continued after the coup and intensified in
1968. For example, Mr. Deku introduced a new administrative policy in
1968, and this abolished the simultaneous existence of both the Eastern
European [COS] and Western European [Sports Council], systems. He es-
tablished a new sports council with himself as Chairman and Selormey as
Chief Executive, vested with full powers to handle matters relating to
Ghana’s sports. Justifying the NLC’s adoption of the Western model of
sports administration for Ghana, Deku argued that although their crea-
tion was laudable, running the COS and the former Sports Council con-
currently was cumbersome and their contribution to the development of
sports was insufficient to help in Ghana’s sports development.101
The sporadic appointment and removal of sports officials, in particu-
lar, displeased many Ghanaians and weakened administration. Sports en-
thusiasts believed that the NLC appointed their favourites. For example,
when Fredua Mensah, chairman of an investigative committee on foot-
ball, was appointed head of football in 1967, a Daily Graphic reporter, won-
dered why somebody who had been head of the football committee
should be appointed chairman of GAFA, contending that proper steps
should have been taken to reorganise GAFA on ‘lines compatible with the
basic tenets of democracy.’102 Nelson, a sportswriter, also described the

99 Justice Annan Committee Report, July 1971: 9.

100 Daily Graphic, June 9 1971: 11.
101 The Ghanaian Times, July 13 1968: 16.
102 Daily Graphic, April 7, 1967: 11.
 Coup d’état and sports development in Ghana 83

same decision as a cruel stab in the back of democracy, which cast an as-
persion of the ability of the would-be members of the reconstituted GAFA
to choose who should lead them.103 He appealed to sport authorities to
work to prevent the repetition of past mistakes.104
Despite these protestations, Deku retained Mr. Mensah, promising to
work with him to improve sports administration. Deku argued that
Ghana’s soccer was plagued with indiscipline, maladministration and in-
trigues which had reduced Ghana’s giant position to ‘a lean and jaun-
diced pygmy.’105 For him, Mr. Mensah had the competence to make
GAFA more efficient than before, he could retain the African Cup of Na-
tions Championship title and prevent the steady diminution of Ghana’s
soccer status.106
This was the complex, intractable state in which Ghana sports found
itself following the 1966 military coup. Internal administration, organiza-
tion, welfare and promotion of sports, as well as Ghana’s participation in
international competitions, were all affected negatively. The continued
government interference in sports, in particular, contributed little to
Ghana’s drive to reorganize and improve sports. The complex problems
the coup created for sports development in Ghana did not end with the
NLC’s administration in 1969 but continued to affect stability in Ghana’s
sports development in the 1970s and beyond.

Conclusion
This paper has examined the ramifications of the NLC government’s de-
cision to totally reorganize sports in Ghana after the 1966 military coup.
It reveals that Mr. Ohene Djan, the Director of Sports during the Nkrumah
regime, ran an effective administration which ensured stability and pro-
gress in the administration of sports in Ghana between 1960 and 1966. The
military leaders of the 1966 coup d’état believed that the CPP government
was corrupt and practised nepotism and favouritism, and to correct this,
they set up committees and commissions of enquiry to probe former gov-
ernment officials, including Mr. Djan and some executive members of the
COS. Despite the in-depth Audit and other investigations, sports did not
improve. The reorganization of sports after February 1966 was associated
with irregular and indiscriminate appointment and dismissal of sports
administrators and the introduction of new administrative and organiza-
tional policies. Decree 330, which outlined the NLC’s sports development

103 Daily Graphic, April 13, 1967: 11.

104 Daily Graphic, April 13, 1967: 11.
105 The Ghanaian Times, February 15 1967: 15
106 The Ghanaian Times, February 15 1967: 15.
84 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

strategy, was largely condemned by journalists who regarded it as value-

less and incapable of changing the face of sports administration in Ghana
for the better.
The NLC era saw the emergence of polarized media with supporters
and opponents. By the assumption of power of the Busia administration
in 1969, Ghana’s sports administration and organization had been in vir-
tual crisis for three years. Ghana won no major international trophies,
medals or awards during this period. The sports fraternity was divided
into pro-NLC, and anti-NLC with the latter condemning the NLC gov-
ernment for providing no pragmatic proposals for rapid reforms in
Ghana’s sports. Thus, despite the numerous changes and reforms in the
organization of sports in Ghana, the effect of the military leaders’ reform
policy after the coup of February 1966 was largely insignificant. The meth-
ods of reorganization were irregular and sporadic and administrators in-
spired little confidence in athletes. Accordingly, sports administrators
failed woefully to significantly transform sports in Ghana for the better as
many Ghanaians had envisaged.

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 86 K. Adum-Kyeremeh & E. A. Ofosu-Mensah

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Abstract

The military men who toppled Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, in a mil-
itary coup in 1966, also sought to reorganize sports. Their keen interest in sports
notwithstanding, Ghana did not win trophies and medals in international sports
competitions compared to Ghana’s splendid performances in sports during the era
of Nkrumah in the early 1960s. The organization of local sports also faced many
challenges. Since the National Liberation Council (NLC) took the development of
sports seriously, it is surprising Ghana faced complex challenges with the organi-
zation of sports under the NLC. What caused the problems in sports in Ghana be-
tween 1966 and 1969? Using archival data, newspaper items and data from pub-
lished works, this research critically discusses this problem.

Keywords: Ghana, Coup d’état, Administration, promotion, sports, investigation

Authors
Kwame Adum-Kyeremeh,
Department of History, School of Arts
University of Ghana
Email: kadum-kyeremeh@ug.edu.gh
Mobile: +233 26 663 7387

Ofosu-Mensah, Emmanuel Ababio

Department of History, School of Arts
University of Ghana
Email eaofosu-mensah@ug.edu.gh
Mobile: +233 20 852 8333

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