“This day will never be forgotten, the 6th of March 1957, when the Gold Coast successfully got her Independence officially. Ghana is the name, Ghana we wish to proclaim. We shall be happy, merry and gay, the 6th of March independence day.”
These are the beautiful lyrics of a memorable song composed by West Indian musician, Lord Kitchener, six decades ago to mark Ghana’s independence celebrations. For the purpose of my subject today, I would like to paraphrase Lord Kitchener’s song, “This day will never be forgotten the 24th of March 1963, when Ghana football lost the services of the generation’s greatest footballer Baba Yara through a horrible motor accident.”
I would like March 24 2025 to also go into the history books of Ghana football as the day the hitherto non-performing Black Stars suddenly lived up to expectation to take a comfortable lead towards qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Americas.
To be honest not everybody was convinced by their massive 5-0 win over unsung Chad at home last Friday. But the output in Morocco against Madagascar on Monday March 24 showed evidence that the team now means business.
Let’s hope the past well-known buoyant team spirit that put fears in nations facing Ghana is coming back. The eight goals scored in two matches against Chad and Madagascar with a clean sheet is quite remarkable. Interestingly, the eight goals were scored by seven different players with Partey the odd man with two goals.
Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give three cheers to the renascent Black Stars for making March 24 another remarkable day in the annals of Ghana football. With this encouraging feat I can beat my chest and proclaim the Black Stars are on their way to World Cup 2026.
On this note let me recall the exploits of past football icon Baba Yara who keeps reminding me of the date March 24. He was easily one of the most colourful footballers the nation has produced. Dubbed, “The King of Wingers,” the brilliant and handsome international football star had his illustrious football career cruelly cut short after the motor accident at Kpeve in the Volta Region. He remained in a wheel chair for six years and died in Accra on May 5, 1969.
The exciting goal scorer and artistic dribbler was buried at the now abandoned Odorkor cemetery in Accra in a typical Muslim tradition, at the ripe age of 33.
The famous sports stadium in the Garden City of Kumasi originally donated by the renowned multi-national Trading Firm, United Africa Company (UAC) in 1959, was renamed after Baba Yara in memory of his exploits at the stadium where he achieved immense popularity playing for fabulous Asante Kotoko in particular and the Black Stars in general.
“The King of wingers” could score easily with
either foot. He was Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s star player and featured prominently for the Black Stars for nearly eight years. Indeed, he scored two goals in Ghana’s historic and unprecedented 7-0 victory over Nigeria in the then annual international challenge cup match for the Jalco Cup at Accra Stadium in 1955.
On the local scene, Baba Yara won the hearts of Kotoko supporters especially for scoring in almost every Kotoko match against traditional rivals Hearts of Oak. Fast and full of stylish tricks and a good passer of the ball, he inspired his teammates to several victories when the going was getting tough.
Football historians recall with nostalgia the dramatic way he led Asante Kotoko to overturn a 2-0 deficit to beat Accra Hearts of Oak 4-2 in the nation’s first FA Cup final in 1958 at Accra Stadium. This remains one of the richest legacy of his football artistry. Kotoko were down 2-1 at half time but soon on resumption, Baba Yara inspired Kotoko with a brilliant equaliser from the penalty spot. He then went on and assisted in two brilliant goals to win the FA Cup for the Porcupine Warriors.
Born on Oct 12, 1936, Baba Yara showed abundant flair for sports in general quite early and was a champion sprinter in an Arabic school. At the age of 13, he displayed signs of a talented footballer but his love for games generally drew him to horse racing. Between 1950 and 1953 he was a jockey at the Accra Turf Club and played football as well.
He returned to Kumasi in 1954 and played regularly for Asante Kotoko as a top star till he was recruited to join the newly formed star packed novelty national model club, Real Republikans, dubbed Osagyefo’s Own Club (OOC) in 1961.
As already mentioned, Baba Yara’s colourful career was cut short in 1963 at age 27 following a serious spine injury he sustained in a terrible motor accident at Kpeve in the Volta Region on Match 24 1963. He was returning from a victorious league match at Kpandu against Volta Heroes with model club, Real Republikans winning 5-0. In addition to Baba Yara, 12 other players received slight injuries in the accident.
Eye witness accounts said the 23-seater bus skidded off the road in a curve on a slippery road and hit an embankment. Yara, seated near the main door was thrown out of the bus and he might have been trampled by his colleagues in the scramble to get out of the bus.
Twelve (12) other players namely Agyeman Gyau, Kofi Pare, E.C Oblitey, Dodoo Ankrah, Shitta, Edward Boateng, Carl Lokko, William Gibirine, Otto Odametey, S. Y. Tetteh, Salifu Musah and Dodoo Quartey sustained slight injuries. They were sent to Ho Hospital from where they were flown to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra. Most of them were discharged within a few days.
This was a really dark day in the history of Ghana football and the league was suspended for a brief period. There were quick consultations among a group of surgeons and Baba Yara, accompanied by Dr R.O Addai, a surgical specialist from the 37 Military Hospital, was quickly flown to England where he was treated at the famous Stoke Mandeville Hospital for spinal injuries.
In a side attraction a week later, a popular Night Club in Accra called La Ronde, presented Yara’s wife, Patience, with an airticket to visit her husband in the UK. Interestingly, the return airticket in question had been won by Baba Yara himself two weeks before the accident when he was chosen the best dressed gentleman in a fun competition organised by the La Ronde Night Club. Yara’s intimate friends will tell you the handsome footballer was an outgoing gentleman off the pitch and enjoyed socialising.
As he remained on the hospital bed in faraway UK, his numerous football fans throughout the country prayed for the speedy recovery of this football star who was a great crowd puller. Anxious fans kept inquiring about his state of health from the sports authorities. Initial reports from Stoke Mandeville said “there was the possibility of the football star gaining a reasonable recovery within a period of four to six months.”
This was however not to happen. On August 14 1963, a thick crowd of football fans stormed the Accra International Airport to welcome him from the UK only to see the well-dressed brilliant footballer in dark suit on a stretcher. As the passengers disembarked the expectation was to see Yara come out last, probably waving a white handkerchief to a cheering crowd.
You can imagine the disappointment of the fans. The reception turned out to be a solemn affair. I saw Baba Yara wiping tears when he saw the thick crowd who had dangerously defied aviation security to storm the tarmac virtually surrounding the giant BOAC Aircraft that flew Yara to Accra. He was whisked away in an ambulance to the 37 Military Hospital for a few days’ rehabilitation.
After a quiet life in a government bungalow on Independence Avenue in Accra, the “King of Wingers” died on May 5, 1969 and was buried at Odorkor Cemetery in Accra. May his soul continue to rest in eternal peace.
The Kumasi Sports stadium known as Baba Yara Stadium, is definitely a fitting memorial for one of the greatest footballers Ghana has produced.
This piece is my contribution to this year’s Heritage Month. Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.
Credit: Ken Bediako
Related
