On this day 16 May 2009 (Exactly 10 years ago) Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene and Life Patron of Kumasi Asante Kotoko Football Club dissolved the Sylvester Asare-Owusu-led five-member management team.
The Asantehene at an emergency stakeholders meeting held at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, he instead appointed an interim six-member management team and charged them to deliberate and appoint their own leader later.
The new members were Madam Helena Cobbinah, representing Kotoko Ladies, Sarfo Gyamfi, ex-player, Reverend Osei Kofi, ex-player, Alhaji Nje, former management member, Opoku Afriyie, Team Manager of Kotoko and Benjamin Nti, representing the Supporters Union.
The meeting was necessitated by string of losses chalked by the Club, especially in the Premier League which had thrown the entire Kotoko family into a turmoil with apportioning of blame from players, technical team, management and the supporters. Kotoko at that time lied at the eighth position with 25 points, after losing a total of seven matches, drawn four and won seven, a record seen by many football analysts as one of the poor performances in Kotoko’s history.
Expectations were high before the meeting as the charged supporters clad in the Club’s colours, besieged the premises of the Manhyia Palace and were kept in suspense until the Asantehene announced the dissolution of the management team, after the members had one after the other told the meeting as to what they thought were the problems hindering the Club’s progress.
Majority of the dissolved management were unanimous in their assertion that there was disunity and division among them, which according to them accounted for the team’s abysmal performance. Otumfuo Osei Tutu, who is the Spiritual Leader and owner of Kotoko lamented that the dissolved management team could not concentrate properly on the job given them but they instead pursued their own selfish interest thus diverting their attention from their vision statement.
He made it clear that it behoves on stakeholders of the Club to at all times be committed to the cause of Kotoko to ensure its progress and shun practices and utterances that in the long term may dent the hard won image of the Club.
On this day 16 May 2018 (Exactly a year ago) Antoine Griezmann scored twice as Atletico Madrid swept aside Marseille in Lyon to win the Europa League for the third time in nine years.
France forward Griezmann opened the scoring by punishing Andre Zambo Anguissa’s poor touch to coolly slot home, then casually dinked in a second.
Captain Gabi drilled in the third goal late on as Atletico again lifted the trophy they also won in 2010 and 2012.
The outcome could have been different had Marseille forward Valere Germain taken an early chance, before Griezmann’s lethal finishing allowed Atletico to take control.
Marseille skipper Dimitri Payet, an injury doubt before the game, lasted just half an hour before hobbling off in tears.
Without their inspirational midfielder, the French side caused Atletico just one major scare as ex-Fulham striker Kostas Mitroglou headed against the post.
On this day 16 May 1973 (Exactly 46 years ago) AC Milan of won the 13th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Leeds United of England at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece. Milan won the match 1–0 thanks to a goal by Luciano Chiarugi.
On this day 16 May 1979 (Exactly 40 years ago) FC Barcelona won the 19th edition of the European Cup Winner’s Cup against Fortuna Düsseldorf of West Germany 4-3 at the Sanit Jakob Stadium in Basel.
José Vicente Sánchez put Barcelona ahead after five minutes only for Klaus Allofs to reply three minutes later. Juan Manuel Asensi restored the Catalans’ lead just after the half-hour, but Francisco Seel made it 2-2 four minutes before the break. No goals were scored in the second half, but thoughts of a drab, fear-ridden extra-time soon vanished. Carlos Rexach sent the Catalan fans wild with a goal after 104 minutes and Hans Krankl seemed to have delivered the coup de grâce when he made it 4-2 . But, back came the Germans with a 114th-minute goal by Seel which had Barcelona hanging on for the final whistle.
On this day 16 May 1984 (Exactly 35 years ago) Juventus won the 24th European Cup Winner’s Cup against FC Porto of Portugal 2-1 at the St. Jakob Stadium in Basel, Switzerland.
The final was decided in the first half. Both teams showed attacking potential but Beniamino Vignola put Juventus ahead after 13 minutes. Porto rallied bly and Antonio Sousa equalised on the half-hour. The game ebbed and flowed but Juventus earned the crucial break four minutes before half-time when Boniek Zbigniew exploited a gap in the Portuguese defence to make it 2-1. In the second half, Porto valiantly sought a route through the Italian defence which was superbly marshalled by Scirea, tragically killed in a car crash a few years later.
On this day 16 May 1977 (Exactly 42 years) Muhammad Ali beat Alfredo Evangelist by unanimous decision at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, U.S. & Retained his WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles.
On this day 16 May 1975 (Exactly 44 years ago) Muhammad Ali TKOs Ron Lyle in round 11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.A; Retained his WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles.
On this day 16 May 1955 (Exactly 64 years ago) Rocky Marciano TKOs Don Cockell in round 9 at the Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California, U.S.A ;Retained the Ring and lineal heavyweight titles.
By GEORGE ‘Alan Green’ MAHAMAH