On this day 9 April 2012 (Exactly 7 years ago) The Ghana Football Association appointed James Kwesi Appiah as the substantive coach of the Black Stars.
The Executive Committee of the GFA confirmed the appointment of the former international at a meeting in Accra.
The meeting was called to discuss the head-hunting exercise undertaken by the GFA to find a permanent Black Stars coach.
He had been the assistant coach of the Black Stars since 2008 and led the Black Meteors to win the Gold medal at the 2011 All African Games.
His Ghana team qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, making him the first black African coach to take the country to the World Cup.
He left his position as Ghana manager by mutual consent in September 2014.
In April 2017 he was re-appointed as the coach of the Ghana national team, replacing former Chelsea manager Avram Grant.
On this day 9 April 2000 (Exactly 19 years ago) Liberty Professional maintained their top position on the ABC Premier League after two goals from Kofi Deblah and one from Albert Neequaye clinched them a 3-0 win over visiting Dewu Youngster at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The win which ensured Liberty maintained a hundred percent record of matches played in Accra saw the homesters dominating the early stages of the game and came close to scoring in the 13th minute but Benard Aryee’s shot was saved by keeper Yusif Danladi.
But in the 26th minute Danladi had no reponse to a terrific shot from striker Kofi Deblah as he pounced on a loose ball outside the box and to rifled in a 30 yarder for the first goal.
Liberty pushed for more goals after the leader but Dewu resorted to effective off side traps to hold the front men of liberty in check. Dewu brought on John Plange and Samuel Tetteh for Justice Opoku and Senanu Bright in the 46th and 57th minute which brought more life into their game.
Erratic shooting in the 55th and 64th minutes by substitutes Solomon Crenstil and John Plange coupled with good gaolkeeping by Liberty’s Luis Quainoo kept the scores at bay.
Dewu pushed more men foward in their attempt to get the equaliser but in the process ceated a poross defence which was exploited 41st minute when Kofi Deblah broke through to score his second gaol.
When everything was pointing towards a two-gaol win for Liberty substitute Albert Neequaye scored deep into injury time to bring the score-line to three in thieir favour.
Elsewhere on the same day,
Striker Alexander Tachie-Mensah scored a hat-trick as Dwarfs beat Accra Great Olympics 3-1 at the Cape Coast Stadium. Ironically, it was the visitors who scored first in the ninth minute through Amui Quaye who finished off a neat pass by Wisdom Abbey.
Dwarfs lifted their game after that early scare by Oly to equalise in the 18th minute through Tachie-Mensah who meandered through a crowded Oly defence to slot the ball into the net.
He was on target again in the 33rd minute when he headed home a free-kick, lobbed by team-mate Iddrisu Alhassan. Tachie-Mensah sealed the doom for Oly in the 47th minute with the third. Oly fought back in the later stages of the game but their efforts were thwarted by the Dwarfs defenders.
On this day 9 April 2014 (Exactly 5 years ago) The power-packed left hand of Ghanaian Joshua Clottey sent Anthony Mundine to the canvas five times and put serious doubts over the Australian boxer’s future at Newcastle Entertainment Centre last.
Clottey outclassed the former rugby league star in a unanimous points decision – 116-108, 115-109, 117-108.
It was Mundine’s sixth loss in 52 fights and first in Newcastle in four bouts.
Mundine was floored in the third, twice in the sixth then again in the eighth and 10th, each time with Clottey’s left hand providing the telling blow.
Mundine’s camp considered throwing in the towel at the end of the 10th but he fought on to finish the 12-round contest
After the fight, Clottey, whose record was 38-4 (22 KOs), said Mundine made a mistake dropping to the super-welterweight division, where the Australian held the WBA international title until that night.
Mundine said he had no regrets.
‘‘I want to fight the best but I got caught early,’’ he said
‘‘I finished the fight on my feet and at the end of the day you’ve got to have a go and fight the best
The then 38-year-old said he was not thinking about retirement and that he may look at a rematch with Australian arch-rivals Danny Green or Daniel Geale.
Mundine was stunned early in the third by a left hook then was floored towards the end of the round when he walked into a straight right.
Clottey kept the heat on Mundine in the fourth but the Australian got busy in the fifth to get back in the fight.
But Clottey soon regained his dominance in the sixth, rocking Mundine with another crisp left which sent him to the canvas. He regained his feet but was down again within seconds.
Mundine tried to counter-attack in the seventh but was on the back foot again by the end of the round.
He was felled midway through the eight, Clottey again catching him with a sharp left. He recovered and finished the round strongly
The Newcastle crowd lifted in the 10th as Mundine landed some encouraging flurries but Clottey never appeared in real danger and sent the three-time world champion to the canvas for a fifth time with another left.
Clottey played it smart in the 12th and final round, avoiding any danger.
By George ‘Alan Green’ Mahamah
