On This Day: Ghana won its first ever Nations Cup trophy

Ghana won its first ever Africa Cup of Nations trophy on this day 50 years ago. Football researcher Thomas Freeman Yeboah  recounts the events leading up and after the historic triumph 50 years ago on hime soil.

On Sunday 1 st December, 1963 Ghana became the lords of African football. Interistingly 1 st December, 1963 was a Sunday and 1 st December, 2013, exactly 50 years on, also falls on Sunday .

Preparation
The role of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah believed football could be used as the tool for his ambition to ensure African Unity. As a result, he appointed Ohene Djan the then Chairman of the  Ghana Amateur Football Association (GAFA) as the Director of Sports, a new Ministerial Portfolio  on 1 st July, 1960.

Due to his love for football he directed Ohene Djan to form Real Republicans, also known as Osagyefo's Own Club in the early 1960's. As a model club, two players were selected from each team – forming the base for an amalgamated Ghana team which won one league title and four 4 consecutive FA Cups – a feat that remains a Ghanaian club record in the FA Cup.

This team formed a core of the Black Stars team that won the Nations Cup in 1963.

Camping and other preparatory tournaments
The Black Stars group at the time was fully a locally based, so there was a long period of camping to prepare them for the tournament and this ensured team work and stability.

The Stars prior to this tournament were champions in their own right, winning three West African Championships.

In 1962 the Stars played against Real Madrid, who had won the Champions League for 5 times, with the likes of Puskas, Alfredo Di Stefano at the Accra Sports Stadium and the game ended 3-3. This resulted obviously boosted team confidence.

The road to the final
The competitions started on Saturday 24 th November and ended on Sunday 1 st December in Ghana.

 
The Nation's Cup was strengthened in 1963 with the joining of new independent African countries; politics was high on the global agenda and with the formation of OAU in 1963, putting the pan African sentiments of leaders such as Nkrumah at centre stage.

Ghana for the very first time participated in the Nation's Cup as hosts for the tournament.

 
Ghana was in Group A, against the likes of the defending champions Ethiopia and Tunisia.

The Black Stars drew the opening game against Tunisia and Welberforce Kwadwo Mfum in the 9 th minute became the first Ghanaian player to score a goal in the Nations Cup, before Djedidi equalized for Tunisia.

Ghana beat the defending champions Ethiopia by 2-0 and the two goal hero was Edward Acquah – to help Ghana eventually top the group.

Group A (Accra)
1. GHANA           2  1  1  0   3- 1  3p
2. Ethiopia        2  1  0  1   4- 4  2p
3. Tunisia         2  0  1  1   3- 5  1p
Note: A win during those days was worth 2 points.
Ghana booked a date with Sudan in the final. Sudan topped a group made up of Egypt and Nigeria.

 
Final
Venue: The Accra Sports Stadium
Date: 1st December, 1963
Ghana  3-0 Sudan
Scorers: Aggrey-Finn (pen) 62, Mfum 72, 82]
Three times champions of West Africa, Ghana ascended the continental throne, after beating Sudan 3-0 in the finals of the African Cup of Nations.

There was much combination among the soccer Trojans- Edward Acquah, Leonard Acquah and Mfum at the early stages of the 1 st half .

Ofei Dodoo replaced Leonard Acquah and he brought some life into the game in the 2 nd half .

Due to Ghana's unrelenting pressure, a Sudan defender in a desperate attempt to clear his lines handled in the penalty box – the referee had no choice but to point to the spot.

Skipper Aggrey Fyn stepped up to beat goalkeeper Sabit Dodoo from the spot in the 62 nd min .

There were some interesting exchanges between Agrrey Fyn and Edward Acquah moments before the spot kick was taken.

When Aggrey  Fyn, picked the ball Edward Acquah, told him Nanabenyin as he was affectionately called “Aren't you afraid of taking Ghana's penalty for me am gone.” He said it in Fante and this shows the fear of Ghanaians taking penalty since the early stages of Ghana football. This second half goal opened the door for Mfum to bang in two goals to complete the wallop.

Celebration after the victory over Sudan
The celebration was a never to be forgotten one according to an eye witness and participants like Osei Kofi, Kofi Pare, Leonard Acquah and  Ben Acheampong.

“The people of Ghana celebrated as if Ghana had attained independence,” Osei Kofi recalled.

Other eye witnesses said people took to the drinking spot and started drinking to mark the victory while others did their peice of celebration on the principal streets.

The significance of the victory to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah

It was a triumph for both the team and their leader Nkrumah. Football he believed could be a model for African pride and unity and with a successful Black Stars team he had a supreme vehicle.

The Black Stars team that achieved the historic African Nations Cup triumph (18-man squad)

Players alive (11 players)
Dodoo Ankrah (Real Republicans), Evans Oblitey (Real Republicans) , Ben Acheampong former Ben Simmons (Real Republicans), Franklin Crentsil ( Real Republicans), Kwame Adarkwa (Kotoko) , Kofi Pare (Real Republicans), Wilberforce Mfum (Kotoko) , Agyemang Gyau (Real Republicans, Leonard Acquah ( Defence Stars), E.E Degraft (Corners Stones), Osei Kofi (Kotoko).

Players dead (7 players)
Addo Odametey ( Late) (Real Republicans), Edward Acquah (Real Republicans),  (late) , Mohammed Salisu (Kotoko) (late) Aggrey Fyn ( Captain) (Real Republicans), (late) Ofei Dodoo (Hearts of Oak), Joe Aikens (Corners Stones), Atta Kwame ( B. A United),

Clubs contribution to the 1963 team
Real Republicans: 9
Kotoko: 4
Corners: 2
Hearts of Oak, Defence Stars, B. A United: 1
Head Coach: C.K Gyamfi
Assistant coach: Ben Kouffie
Team Manager: Kwabena Haggan (Late)
Director of Sports: Ohene Djan
APPRECIATION
FINANCIAL
Ghana as a nation through the Ministry of Youth and Sports needs to recognize these heroes by establishing a pension scheme for them, because playing for the nation in those days was just for pride and not for any other commercial gains like in recent times.

Some of the old players are now living in absolute poverty and they are bitter. Promises made to most of these heroes were not honoured due to reasons including coup d'état.

For instance the 1965 AFCON winning team according to people like Osei Kofi who was part of the team were promised an estate house, but never materialized because Dr, Nkrumah was overthrown on February, 1966 and also from news reports, I.K Acheampong promised the 1978 triumphant winning team an estate house each but was again not to be realized due to coup d'état.

Most of the heroes of the 4 African nations Cup success of Ghana believe that until the nation satisfies promises made to them, Ghana will never win a Nations Cup trophy again.

As a nation we need to pay particular attention to this because a nation which doesn't honour its heroes is not worth dying for.

MONUMENTAL RECOGNISION
Ghana as a nation needs to name most of our sports facilities after some of these heroes. In this direction The Ministry of Youth and Sports has really done well, since the era of the Kuffour led government to the present John Mahama led administration and this needs to be sustained.

The Accra Sports Stadium named after Ohene Djan, the first Director of Sports who led Ghana to two Nations Cups and the Kumasi Sports Stadium named after Baba Yara, who got paralyzed in an accident with the Real Republicans team in 1963, hence denying him the chance to feature for Ghana in the 1963 Nations Cup is a laudable idea.

The Cape Coast Stadium, is also named after Robert Mensah, the goalkeeper of the Black Stars in the 1968 and 1970 African Cup of Nations, losing finalist .

It is my wish that one of the stadia is named after, Charles Kumi Gyamfi, the coach of the 1963 Nations Cup winning team and joint most successful coach in the Nations Cup history.

He won the nations Cup in 1963, 1965 and 1982, before returning to Ghana as the technical director during the 1992 Nations Cup. C.K Gyamfi who once captained the Stars, per his achievement is arguably the greatest sports hero in Ghana.

By Thomas Freeman Nuamah Yeboah (Metro fm )