On this day 17 December 2000 (Exactly 21 years ago today) Three late goals from Hearts of Oak earned the Ghana club their first and only African Champions League title as they beat Esperance of Tunisia 3-1 in an extraordinary, incident-packed match at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The second-leg victory gave Hearts a 5-2 aggregate triumph but the game was held up for 20 minutes after rioting broke out and police fired teargas.
Esperance later protested to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), seeking to have the result annulled. Esperance goalkeeper Chokri El Ouaer cut himself above the eye in a bizarre attempt to get the game abandoned but officials saw what he was up to and took no action
The Tunisian club claimed in their protest that El Ouaer had been hit by a flying object thrown from the crowd
Rioting broke out 15 minutes from time with Esperance leading 1-0 and going all out for the second goal they needed. The crowd pelted the linesman from South Africa with an assortment of objects.
Teargas was then fired into the crowd, one cannister landing in the VIP box, which forced all the dignitaries, including then CAF president Issa Hayatou, onto the athletics track surrounding the field.
A small group of travelling Tunisian fans also scaled the fences to seek refuge. During the melee one supporter ran onto the pitch and handed an object to El Ouaer, with which he cut a gash on the side of his face.
The goalkeeper, who played at the World Cup finals in France two years earlier , ran to the centre of the field with blood streaming from the wound, collapsing at the halfway line. But referee Robin Williams and linesman Achmat Sallie, as well as officials and journalists on the side of the pitch, saw the incident and the only result was that he had to leave the pitch injured.
It took 18 minutes for authorities to clam down incensed officials from both sides, with police chasing players and spectators from the field
When the game restarted, Esperance inexplicably brought on an outfield player and put midfielder Hassen Gabsi in goal, leaving reserve goalkeeper Mohamed Zouabi on the bench.
Hearts then quickly scored three goals to secure the continent’s flagship club trophy. Emmanuel Osei Kuffour equalised with seven minutes remaining and then toyed with the stand-in goalkeeper to score a second a minute from time.
Ishmael Addo add an equally easy tap-in from close range, added the third in stoppage time.
In between, Esperance had winger Walid Azaiez sent off for a butt at Hearts defender and it took three minutes for the furious player to leave the pitch. He then punched a policeman as he left the ground.
Esperance has been in control of the game before the bizarre turn of events, scoring early in the first half with a flying header by Gabsi and controlling the game after halftime with Brazilian import Adailton imperious in the middle. They looked strong contenders for a second goal, which would have put them ahead on aggregate and given them a second African Champions League title.
Hearts Line-up :1.Sammy Adjei, 6. Dan Quaye, 5. Jacob Nettey, 15. Edward Agyeman-Duah, 17.Stephen Tetteh, 14. Joe Ansah, 12. Charles Allotey (10. Emmanuel Adjogu 46), 9-Adjah Tetteh (4. Edmond Copson 67), 18. Ishmael Addo, 3. Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, 8. Charles Taylor (13. Osmanu Amadu 73).
Coach : Cecil Jones Attuquayefio
Esperance Line-up :1. Chokri El Ouaer (Maher Kanzari 85), 7.Tarek Thabet (5. Faycal Ben Ahmed 85), 17. Walid Azaiez, 15. Radhi Jaidi, 3. Hakim Nouira, 4. Mohamed Bedhiafi, 8. Hassen Gabsi, 11. Mourad Melki (2-Taoufik Hammami 69), 14. Adailton, 10. Reinaldo, 9. Ali Zitouni
Elsewhere;
On this day 17 December 2010(Exactly 11 years ago today) Ghana and then Sunderland star Asamoah Gyan was crowned BBC African Footballer of the Year for 2010.
The Black Stars striker clinched the title with an overwhelming majority – receiving more than half of the vote.
He finished well ahead of fellow Ghanaian Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew, Ivorians Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon.
“I’m so happy, I can’t believe it,” he said. “I’m so thankful to all the fans who voted for me.”
He added: “It was really hard to win this award, especially because of all the other players I was up against
“So I’m so appreciative to all my fans in Africa – especially my family and fans in Ghana
On this day 17 December 1957 (Exactly 64 years ago today) Real Madrid forward Alfredo Di Stéfano won the Balloon d’Or award for best football player in Europe ahead of Englishmen Billy Wright and Duncan Edwards
On this day 17 December 1963 (Exactly 58 years ago today) Dynamo Moscow goalkeeper Lev Yashin won the Ballon d’Or award for best European football player; beats Milan midfielder Gianni Rivera and Tottenham striker Jimmy Greaves; first Russian national to win trophy
On this day 17 December 2015 (Exactly 6 years ago today) After losing nine out of 16 league games, and being a point outside the relegation zone, then reigning champions Chelsea announced that they have parted company with manager Jose Mourinho “by mutual consent “, ending his second spell in charge at the club.
On this day 17 December 2017 (Exactly 4 years ago today) Brazilian footballer and former AC Milan and Real Madrid player Kaka retired
BY: GEORGE ‘Alan Green’ MAHAMAH
