Penalty Shootout in Ghana League Started In 1989-90 Premier League

The decision by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to introduce penalty kicks for teams to get extra points is welcome. BUT THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME.

Below is a story, credit Page 116 of a book, History of the Football League 1958-2012 by veteran Sports Journalist, Mr Ken Bediako.

For the first time in the history of the league, the penalty shootout was introduced for a bonus point after drawn games. Victory in the regulation time of 90 minutes fetched three points, but this was an exciting innovation that added colour to the league. it indirectly served to give players the courage to face penalty kicks, little wonder that free-scoring Hearts, the champions earned 78 points – their highest since they collected 60 points to win the 1971 championship.

Quite similar to the 1985 season, the battle for the league title was a neck and neck race between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko. And like the 1985 confrontation, the decider was staged in Kumasi with Hearts winning the collect three points.

The only difference between the June 10,1990 match and that of June 12, 1985 was that the latter was the very last fixture of the season whilst the former had two more laps to go. But the remaining two matches provided very little opposition to the two title contenders and Hearts maintained their three points lead to win the cup.

Apart from Hearts, the three other news-making clubs were Asante Kotoko, Great Olympics and Venomous Vipers, Kotoko drew such massive support that several playing fields could hardly contain their overflowing army of followers.

In Kotoko’s third week fixture against Soccer Missionaries at Fosu on October 22, 1989, the park was so choked that a temporary VIP stand collapsed under the weight of spectators. A similar incident occurred two weeks later at Obuasi during the Kotoko- Goldfields match. A wall collapsed under the weight of spectators. In both instances there were no casualties.

This was to change on December 10, 1989, at Kumasi Stadium during the Kotoko- Hasaacas 10^TH week league match, when a portion of the railings at the stadium collapsed during a stampede. Four people were killed and 30 injured. Everyone accounts said a policeman fired teargas when a group of people believed to bring, attempted to snatch two bags containing gate proceeds at Gate ‘D’ near the electronic scoreboard.

The severe irritation caused by the teargas, according to the reporter, caused the spectators to struggle and scale the railing which collapsed under their weight. A four- member committee was set up under Mr. Saint Gyimah-Kessie then Registrar of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology , Kumasi, to probe the cause of the incident, with a mandate to make recommendations to avoid a reoccurrence.

Mr Kessie is now Omanhene of Asante Mampong with the stool name Daasebre Osei Bonsu

For Great Olympics, it was their boardroom wranglings that kept then in the news. A grim struggle to gain administration control of the club led to the emergence of factions. At one point, the club had four management committees within four weeks.

The management crisis hit a climax on February, 1990 when Olympics tried to present two teams for a league match against Obuasi Goldfields at Nkawkaw. The club became so divided that the GFA eventually had to step in and set up a seven-man caretaker committee to manage it for the rest of the season.

Olympics didn’t find it smooth sailing and had to win their very last match against Fosu Soccer Missionaries to avoid relegation.

As for Venomous Vipers, they showed little venom after being given ‘ministerial pardon’ to play first division soccer. They remained at the bottom of the table from start to finish.

One interesting episode in the season was the dramatic replacement of Mr. Sam Okyere as the GFA boss with Mr. Edward Awah Nyamekye, a private management consultant on the last day of the year 1989. At the time government had the right to appoint the GFA Chairman and a press statement by the Ministry of Sports, headed by Kwame Sarah-Mensah, announced the change of leadership of the GFA. No reason were given for the sudden change.

The other remarkable feature was the institution of stern disciplinary measures by the GFA with their attendant heavy fines. Clubs were sanctioned for offences such as reporting late for matches, failure to ensure adequate security, rowdy behaviour of supporters and ungentlemanly conduct of players. By the end of the first round all participating clubs, except Voradep and Missionaries, had been found guilty of one offence of the other and fined a total of nearly one million cedis.

In the first round Voradep at Ho and Missionaries at Fosu come in for honourable mention for decent crowd behaviour. But they faltered towards the end of the competition and were banned indefinitely from playing at Home following crowd violence.

Another ground breaking ruling by the GFA was the eight match ban on Asante Kotoko’s top striker. Sarfo Gyamfi, for ‘breaking protocol’. Sarfo was alleged to have failed to shake hands with Head of State Jerry Rawlings during inspection of teams in the Hearts- Kotoko league match at Accra Sports Stadium which coincided with the anniversary celebration of the December 31 Military Coup.

Despite these shadows, the numerous suspension which the league suffered, plus the unprecedented last-minute reshuffle of fixtures, the competition saw quiet and exciting finale.

As the last fixtures on July,1, 1990, there were as many as seven clubs whose fate hung in the balance, apart from Hasaacas and Vipers who were firmly rooted at the bottom.

Olympics 40, Missionaries 40, Kumapem 40, Wise 40, Bofoakwa 40, Dwafs 39 and Goldfields 38 occupied the 8^th to the 14^th position in that order and each of them was a potential relegation candidate. Interestingly, the last fixtures saw these clubs playing among themselves.

The paring were Olympics vs Missionaries, Kumapim vs Wise; Bofoakwa vs Dwarfs and Goldfields vs Hasaacas, Olympics, Bofoakwa and Goldfields collected three points apiece. Kumapem won in penalties against Wise and collected a valuable one point. With the defeat of Dwarfs at Sunyani, the Oguaa boys were doomed to second division one again to join Hasaacas and Vipers.

Perhaps the most exciting player in the league was Hearts midfielder Shamo Quaye who showed consistent form throughout and became runner-up in the goal king race, which was won by Mohammed Tijani of Cornerstone with 15 goals. Shamo Quaye has 13.

Last Updated on February 14, 2025 by samboad