Goodbye, Sir – You have been the HOLY one for us.

Cecil Jones Attuquayefio born on the 18th October, 1944 was a loyal servant of Accra Great Olympics -Hearts of Oak’s city rivals – but it was with HEARTS of OAK that he made his name as a coach.

The ex-Black Stars player, after battling with throat cancer for close to eight years, finally lost the fight on the 12th May, 2015. He fought to the very end of his life…….

FROM STAR PLAYER TO LEGENDARY COACH

Attuquayefio’s footballing career spanned almost 20 years. He started with Ghana Academicals in the early sixties, transferred to Accra Standfast F.C  for a short-stint, later joined Ghana Republicans and finally settled with Accra Great Olympics – where he played from 1966-1974- during their most successful spell in Ghana football which culminated in two league titles in a space of four years. He was a member of the Black Star team that won the African Nations Cup in 1965.

His coaching career kicked off right after his playing days, his first job was with the Accra Great Olympics team in the mid-seventies. He managed the “wonder club” for almost a decade. He was the Assistant-coach of the Black Stars from 1985-1987.

He managed three teams in four years between 1988 and 1993. He was in charge of Okwahu United for a year and proceeded to Cote d’Ivoire where he managed local giants, Stade Abidjan. He was not there for long and came back to Coach Obuasi Goldfields-present day AshantiGold FC- from 1990-1995; the first three years was spent with the senior team and the last two years were with the Academy side of Obuasi Goldfields.

HISTORY MAKER WITH HEARTS

Attuquayefio was appointed manager of Accra HEARTS OF OAK in 1998 after a short stint with his former club Accra Great Olympics. He brought a new dimension to the reigning Ghana League Champions. Attuquayefio’s Hearts of Oak made it into the Group Stages of the CAF Champions league where they placed second in Group A level on points with Power Dynamos of Zimbabwe who had a superior goal difference.

Hearts and Attuquayefio were back in Africa the following year, but after whipping Ela Nguema of Equatorial Guinea 9-0 on aggregate in the preliminary round, the euphoria was quickly subdued when they placed third in their Group, unable to better the record of the previous year. Hearts went on to retain the Ghana league title which was Cecil Jones’ second league triumph with the club.

After those two unsuccessful stints on the African continent, Cecil Jones moulded -arguably- Hearts of Oak’s greatest team. The lessons in the previous fiasco were learned; the shenanigans of away and home games on the continent were understood; the will-power to not succumb was inculcated into the players. The alchemist and leader of men had found his right formula and with it the antidote to dominate the African terrain.

The new, rectified and fortified team Attuquayefio created came to be known as “BATTALION 64.” Some of the notably members of the “64 Battalion” were: Sammy Adjei, Africa’s Best Goal-keeper at Junior level in 1999, took over the goalkeeping reigns from Eben “Dida” Armah and James Nanor; Stephen Tetteh and the veteran -erstwhile midfielder- E. Agyeman Duah were the heart of the defense. They complemented each other perfectly with Stephen Tetteh, the young, energetic and tower of strength; on the other hand, Agyeman Duah brought experience, calmness and composure to the defense. (Sannie Wahab, the best Hearts defender at the time, missed the final. Agyeman Duah replaced him at the back.)

On the right of defense was the mercurial and marauding Yaw Amankwah Mireku; Captain Jacob Nettey: reliable, hardworking, indefatigable and passionate occupied the left flank.

The centre of battle and the hub of the team had the combative, hard tackling, athletic, Lawrence Adjah Tetteh( a mirror-image-of-Edmund Copson) who win the ball and distribute it effectively; and the silent, wily, shadow wall Joe Ansah marshalling the midfield.

Charles Taylor and Charles Allotey occupied the left and right of midfield respectively. The former, a very skillful, quick, left-footed, defense terrorising, slippery and trickery Charles Taylor; the latter, a very small, underrated, hardworking, passionate, gutty and pocket-Hercules Charles Allotey.

Ishmael Addo, the precocious, pacey, and finisher extra-ordinaire, added youthful enthusiasm to the front-line in tandem with Emmanuel Osei-Kuffor – the General- as he was named by the fans.

Emmanuel Osei-Kuffor, the erstwhile right-back, had been converted to a striker by Cecil Jones Attuquayefio. Osei-Kuffor was creative as a playmaker, and had a strikers instinct in equal measure but his greatest attribute was his composure and calmness-personified in front of goal – Emmanuel Osei Kuffor was the top-scorer in the 2000 CAF Champions League.

As the saying goes, ” A team is as good as its bench” and so the equally talented men were the backbone of the team: J. Nanor, Eben Armah; Justice Ampah, James Zoglo, Emmanuel Donkor, Emmanuel Adjogu, Ali Kwame, Dan Quaye, and man-mountain Osmanu Amadu.

HEARTS OF OAK and Attuquayefio were making history, sweeping all before them on the domestic stage thanks in no small part to the trilogy of Osei Kuffor, Ishmael Addo and Charles Taylor. They were unplayable at times and rightly regarded as one of the continent’s finest combinations. The pair registered more than 15 goals between them in the CAF CL.

Attuquayefio’s artistic team, the 64 battalion, went on to win the CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE in 2000 -defeating Esperance in Tunis (ending a close to 30 years home invincibility record of the North Africans in continental football) and winning the return leg 5-2 on aggregate at Accra

Jacob Nettey kisses Hearts’ first ever Africa Champions League in 2000.

. The appurtenance of their success was the sweeping of all the domestic trophies in the year 2000. The icing on the continental cake was the 2-0 win over African giants, Zamalek SC of Egypt, in the Super Cup the following year.

Attuquayefio’s team had rigour at the back, finesse in the middle and panache in front of goal. But of all the qualities that got them through -and distinguished them from the Hearts of Oak team of old- was the we-shall-not-be-over-awed never say die attitude. This conviction was accentuated when they came from a goal and a man down, to beat Esperance 2-1 in Tunis.

Attuquayefio had succeeded where Charles Addo Odametey had failed twice; the battalion 64 had laid down the gauntlet for the legendary “fearsome-five” squad which comprised Robert Hammond, Mama Musah Acquah, Peter Lamptey, Anas Seidu and Mohammed Ahmed Polo. They had -in effect- threatened the very existence of the afore-mentioned quintessential “fearsome-five” squad in the pantheons of Accra Hearts of Oak Legends; they had marked their claim, rejoiced where the erstwhile deities had mourned, and had usurped all the HEARTS OF Oak sides before them as the greatest side ever assembled in the then 93-year history of the Oak tree.

Yes, they were guided, regimented, drilled, indoctrinated, mollycoddled and masterminded by the great CECIL JONES ATTUQUAYEFIO – Accra Hearts of Oak’s coach of the century.

The football world celebrated Cecil Jones Attuquayefio in June, 2012. Well, we will forever celebrate the man and his impeccable achievements.

Accra Hearts of Oak Board Chairman, Togbe Afede XIV, presenting a cheque to Cecil Jones Attuquayefio during his testimonial match.

1. J ATTUQUAYEFIO: MAJOR HONOURS WITH HEARTS OF OAK

CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE STATS: 1

1998*: P4 W3 D0 L1 GF4 GA3 – Group Stage

1999: P10 W5 D3 L2 GF20 GA7 – Group Stage

2000: P12 W8 D3 L1 GF25 GA 12 – Winners (Champions)

2001: P2 W1 D0 L1 GF4 GA 6 – First Round

CONFEDERATION CUP: 1

2004**: P10 W6 D3 L1 GF13 GA 7

*Attuquayefio’s first game in charge of Hearts was the 1-0 defeat away to Eagle Cement.

**Ernst Middendorp had managed the team till the last round before the group stages. Cecil Jones took over and won the maiden trophy

Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio returned to Hearts to make it a hat-trick of continental trophies by pipping Kotoko to the Confederation Cup.

.

SUPER CUP: 1

2001: winner

2005: runner-up

Ghana Premier League Champion: 5

1998, 1999 (double), 2000 (treble), 2001 and 2004/2005 (double)

Ghana FA Cup: 2

1999 (double), 2000 (treble)

Attuquayefio, Accra Hearts of Oak, Ghana and Africa is grateful for the years of service to HUMANITY. Ayekoo.

Goodbye, Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio – You have been the HOLY one for Accra Hearts of Oak. We shall never forget our Jones…..

[This article first appeared on June, 29th 2012, on modernghana.com, written by @HeartsEleven….. TITLED: CELEBRATING CECIL JONES ATTUQUAYEFIO – The First Conquest of Africa with HEARTS OF OAK

— http://www.modernghana.com/sports/403750/2/celebrating-cecil-jones-attuquayefio-the-first-con.html%5D

Article by: @heartseleven

4-0: The Hearts History-makers; Kotoko breakers.

#OnthisHeartsDay 2000 AD: HEARTS 4-0 KOTOKO.

15 years on, and it has still not sunk in. 71 derbies before then, 22 after it; yet, nobody has forgotten. 101 games have been played between Hearts and Kotoko, but none of the other 100 games come close to this very game.

15^th March, 2000 AD was the day. Unarguably, the greatest assembly of men ever gathered in Club football history in Ghana. The team that went on to win four unprecedented trophies in a season had set their greatest rivals on fire. They humiliated Kotoko. Battered them left, right and center with the Porcupine Warriors not knowing what exactly had hit them. The 64-battalion and their sweeping force were a nightmare for the legions of Kotoko fans till this very day and a reverie for the fans of the Oak tree.

Four goals have been scored by a team in the 101 Hearts versus Kotoko clashes in the league on three occasions. Hearts lead the way with 3 victories (after scoring four) to Kotoko’s one.

First, Hearts beat Kotoko 4-3 in an abandoned game in 1958 at the Jackson Park – the Phobians won the replay at the same venue 5-2; Kotoko avenged that defeat with a 4-2 win in Accra the same year. But Hearts repeated the trick again, a quarter of a century later from 1958, when they beat Kotoko 4-3 in another classic thriller in Kumasi.

Close to two decades later after the terrific 4-3 Hearts win over Kotoko in 1983, Cecil Jones Attuquayefio whose career had spiraled down after he picked up an injury whilst playing for – Hearts of Oak’s city rivals – Accra Great Olympics against Kotoko in the 1971 Africa Club Champions semi-final, had his revenge when the team that brought him success as the Best Coach in Africa in 2000, trounced Asante Kotoko 4-0 at the Accra Sports Stadium.

A rainy Wednesday morning and a mid-week fixture in only the second game of the season saw Kumasi Asante Kotoko trek to the Accra Sports Stadium to face old foes Accra Hearts of Oak. The Porcupines had a good start to the year after they beat Hearts in the J.O.T Agyeman Cup in February, 2000. It was time to repeat the dosage or – as time will later exemplify – to suffer their heaviest defeat since Ebusua Dwarfs shamed them 5-0 three decades earlier.

Hearts, in search of a first continental Cup in their 89-year history, were disinterested in the league after winning it on three consecutive occasions. The focus had switched to Africa, and the team was put to a secret training camp from January, 2000. A preparation for the African odyssey, has fate will have it, prodded Kotoko to Accra on the 15^th of March, 2000.

What transpired could never be written down. An attempt to describe the day would be an understatement and an injustice, as an adjective worthy of perfectly depicting the game is yet to be coined by the Queen of England – an unofficial petition letter has been sent to Her Royal Highness in regard to a neologism befitting the 4-0 rout. But 15 years on, the Buckingham Palace reply has not reached the shores of the capital, Accra.

Four nil, the game ended. The precocious Ishmael Addo, top-scorer for Hearts in the derby with Kotoko, grabbed his customary two before the first half. Addo’s first, a thumping header from a Kenneth Sarpong cross in the 24^th minute left defender Frank Atsu in a Sisyphean struggle, heading on beyond his keeper. The young assassin’s second, a sweet temerarious chip from outside the box over goalkeeper Oscar Asamoah few minutes to the half hour. It was so good that the commentator was left in stupefaction… “What a goal? Ishmael Addo…. Oooooooooooh!”

Kenneth Sarpong, one of the most silent yet salient stars of the 64-battalion juggernaut, added the third goal after the break with a sweet volley that could be watched over and over again, without the slightest feeling of monotony.

Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, the General, had redefined the word coolness and panache in front of goal with the most exquisite set of skill in the box since man had found delight in toying with the round leather ball.

Opoku Afriyie, Francis Kumi and K. Badu had established a standard in the derby when they scored for Kotoko to win 3-0 in Accra in 1980.

20 years on, the 64-battalion had obliterated the record in the derby; a sweet revenge and the greatest Hearts of Oak victory over Kotoko in 101 games. Thank you to the following legends who made this day possible. Thank you Cecil Jones for the unbridled joy you gifted us. And we will forever remember this day, and celebrate the names of the 64 battalions. Hearts XI is a mighty team. 4-0. 4-0. 4-0. 4-0. Kotoko, what is the score? Four – Zero. Again? Four! Or you want more?

Full-time Result: Hearts 4-0 Kotoko.

HEARTS XI:

Sammy Adjei; Yaw Amankwah Mireku, Jacob Nettey (C), Justice Ampah, Stephen Tetteh; Joe Ansah, Charles Allotey ( Adjah Tetteh), Charles Taylor, Kenneth Sarpong ( ); Ishmael Addo (Emmanuel Adjogu), Emmanuel Osei Kuffour.

[Somebody asked me, why do you celebrate a past result? My answer was simple: I saw a T-shirt celebrating a Kotoko 2-0 victory over Hearts

Kotoko memorabilia shirt being rocked by a mate…. 2-0 they beat Hearts. And T-Shirts to make the occasion?

. Now, do you still feel I should not celebrate a 4-0 score? What would they have done had they won by that margin against us? Maybe, they will build a 4-0 statue at the entrance of the Babayara………]

NB: At Hearts, nobody celebrates the 4-0 win. What we celebrate or commemorate are the 4 trophies we won. The 4-0 is just an appurtenance……

Ain’t you proud to be a Phobian?

On This Hearts Day 1969: Hearts 2-2 Santos FC

On the 6^th February, 1969, Accra Hearts of Oak were held to a 2-2 drawn game by a Pele-led Santos FC of Brazil in an international friendly at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Striker Abeka Ankrah opened the scoring midway in the game but Edson Arantes do Nascimento Pele struck to pull the visitors level before the break.

Not in the mood to be outdone, Ghana’s own “Pele” Amusa Gbadamoshie, restored Hearts’ lead in the second half, but midfielder Edu earned the great Brazilian side a deserving draw.

Hearts were denied a piece of history by Referee George Lamptey and his assistant, who flagged wrongly for offside, when George “Ga Mantse” Alhassan

George “Ga Mantse” Alhassan was denied the opportunity to be the hero. He gifts Pele a kente scarf before the game.

had prodded home to make it 3-2.

Despite the draw, Hearts still wrote their names in the history books by holding the giants from Brazil to a drawn game.

Santos FC had gone on a tour of Africa in 1969, led by the player, who would become the greatest ever to play the beautiful game, Pele. The Brazilian giants played 9 games on the continent. They won five, drew three and lost just one, and scored and conceded 19 and 11 goals respectively.

Pele

A young Pele would go on to rule world football.

took is tour tally to 7 goals when he netted the equalizer against Hearts at the Accra Sports Stadium, but he made it 8 goals, and became Santos’ top-scorer on tour, on the African continent when he scored against Algeria three days later.

Accra Hearts of Oak were in their 8^th year without the league title when they welcomed the mighty Brazilian side that had dominated the Brazilian league, winning the title five consecutive years, and even became the first side to complete a quadruple.

In contrast to Hearts, when Santos were casting their mast on world football in 1962 and laying the seeds for their period of dominance, the Phobians could not build on their league winning feat in the 1961-62 season after the departure of star man Edward Aggrey-Fynn.

But with the game against the Brazilians in 1969, and a disorganized Tour of the UK in late 1970, the fortunes of the club turned considerably in the new decade of the 70s. Hearts won the league four times in the 1970s – 1971, 1973, 1977, and 1979 – and missed out on continental glory twice in the period.

Whereas the influence of Santos FC on the team and how it changed the mentality of the club is subtle, Hearts should be grateful for the friendly with the Brazilians and the opportunity to test their might against the mighty Santos FC of Pele.

It must also be noted that whereas Pele scored 1281 goals in his career, he scored one of those against Hearts at the Accra Sports Stadium.

He went on to win the World Cup with Brazil a year later, his third, but that day on the 6^th February, 1969, he was outshone by Abeka Ankrah and Amusa Gbadamoshie; but not outscored by the Hearts duo.

[In many Hearts books and even official documents, the date of this match has erroneously been made 6th June, 1969, and other places, 2nd June, 1969. But here is the clear proof of the correct day of the match. http://santosfcwolrdsoccer.blogspot.com/2011/02/santos-fc-history-february-4-1969.html

PS: It is not 4th Feb, the link leads you to the correct date. Check it out]

The happier Stephen Appiah Days.

Happy 34th Birthday, Stephen Appiah

Stephen Leroy “Tornado” Appiah turns 34 today (born 24th December, 1980), but we will take you back to the day he etched his name in Ghana football history as a 15-year-old against Asante Kotoko… Appiah played only two seasons with Hearts (1995-1997), but he left a lot of sweet memories.

One sunny afternoon, in their Accra Sports Stadium bastion, a youngster by name Stephen Appiah etched his name in the folklore of Hearts-Kotoko rivalry with a scintillating performance in an exhilarating 3-3 thriller at the Nation’s Wembley in 1996.

Hearts, coming to the tail-end of a sixth straight league drought of the 19th century, welcomed league leaders Kumasi Asante Kotoko to the reverse fixture of Ghana’s biggest game at the Accra Sports Stadium on 17th April, 1996.

A precocious star, making headways in Ghanaian football announced his arrival on the world stage with a stirring performance.

It was not so much the results that mattered to Hearts of Oak as the league-decider effect and the prodigy who was at the heart of the drama- the 15-year-old Stephen “Tornado” Appiah.

The 1995/96 season was a two-horse race between Ashanti Region rivals Asante Kotoko and Obuasi Goldfields.

Hearts had watched in horror and jealousy as Goldfields stumbled to city rivals Accra Great Olympics to hand Kotoko the momentum.

Fortunately, the Phobians had the opportunity to have a crucial say as to where the title should go, with this epic fixture against Kotoko in Accra.

The 3-3 draw was a satisfactory result for the Phobians as the Kotoko stumble handed Goldfields the chance to move within two points of Kotoko with two games to end the season. Tema Ghapoha completed the Phobians’ mission of thwarting KOTOKO’s title bid by holding the Porcupine Warriors to a goalless draw in Tema whilst Goldfields won at home to edge out their challengers to retain the 1995/96 league season on goal difference, the third and final triumph of their brief dominance of Ghana football.

So much for the background, let us return to that famous encounter on 17th April, 1996.

Stephen Appiah,  in his second and final season for the Rainbow Club, started the scoring for Hearts, but the joy was ephemeral as Kotoko equalised and sailed into a 2-1 lead to keep their title charge alive.

Anthony ‘cannonball’ Tieku levelled for Hearts but the visitors stole the lead again.

Hearts, heading for a second defeat in successive games after losing 2-1 to Afienya, were carried on the lofty shoulders of the young maestro, Appiah.

Stephen Appiah held the game by the scruff of the neck by dancing his way into the Kotoko vital area, and he was mowed down as he shaped to shoot. But before the Referee could point to the spot, the youngster miraculously poked the ball home to draw Hearts on level pegging with the last kick of the game.

By his remarkable feat on the day, Stephen ‘Tornado’ Appiah became the youngest player to ever score a brace in the Hearts-Kotoko rivalry.

The promise that Appiah showed on that day was not belied by any later flaws. On the contrary, he blossomed into a world class player, gracing the most famous pitches in European football with Bologna, Parma, Juventus, and Fenerbahce.

Appiah went ahead to captain the Black Stars to two very successful World Cups.

@HeartsEleven salutes the legend of this great son of the Oak tree.

Do you remember any Stephen Appiah specials in Hearts colours? Share them in the comments box or tweet at @HeartsEleven….. Happy 34th Birthday, Stephen Leroy Appiah, long life and good health.