Robert Mensah

Robert Mensah (born 1939 in Cape Coast , † November 2, 1971 in Tema ) was a Ghanaian soccer player . The 1.83 meter tall and 92 kilogram goalkeeper was most recently under contract with the first division Asante Kotoko and was active in the senior national team .

Life

Career in the club

Mensah began playing football in the first team of the Mysterious Dwarfs from Cape Coast. In 1963 he moved to Ghana Independence from Sekondi ; the association of President Kwame Nkrumah's personal advisor , Ambrose Yankey , was disbanded in February 1965 after Nkrumah's overthrow. Thereupon Mensah switched back to the "mysterious dwarfs", for whom he ran for four more years. In 1969 Mensah finally got a contract with permanent master Asante Kotoko from Kumasi .

Various sources also give further stations or different annual figures:

• Jonathan Wilson states that Mensah was fired from Tema in June 1971 by his association Dumas Boys of Ghana Textile Printing . He also names two national team appearances against Liberia (3-1 win in April 1971) and Togo (0-1 defeat in June 1971).
• The Ghana News Agency reports that Mensah only started playing football with the Mysterious Dwarfs in 1967 and later switched to Ghana Independence and Asante Kotoko. The fact of a change to the Ghana Independence club, which was dissolved in 1963, in the years after 1967 and the incorrect coverage of the 1970 African Nations Cup, described as the "African Nations Cup in Sudan in 1971", do not put the article in a good light.

In January 1970 Mensah stood with his club Asante Kotoko in the final of the African Cup of Champions Club ; Opponent was the Congolese club Tout Puissant Mazembe . After a 1-1 draw in the first leg (January 10 in Kumasi), Mensah was able to save a penalty from Etepe Kakoko in the closing stages of the second leg (January 24 in Kinshasa ) , which meant that his club kept the 2-1 lead and was the first Ghanaian team won the trophy as the best African football team.

Career in the national team

With the national team Mensah took part in the African Championships in 1968 and 1970 ; Ghana finished both tournaments as vice-African champions. At the 1968 tournament, Mensah was used in two of the five games and is said to have been named "Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament"; in two other games John Bortey Naawu stood between the posts, the line-ups for the preliminary round game against the Republic of the Congo are unknown. Two years later, Mensah played all five games in the tournament. In addition, Mensah was at the Olympic Games in 1968 in the national team, but was not used. In addition, Mensah was used in May 1969 in the World Cup qualifier against Nigeria . In ten (documented) international matches, Mensah conceded a total of thirteen goals (record: four wins, three draws, three defeats).

Awards

In 1970, Mensah reached seventh place in the election for Africa's Footballer of the Year, along with his compatriot and teammate Osei Kofi and Moroccan Allal Ben Kassou . In the election the following year he was chosen in second place behind Ibrahim Sunday (Ghana, Asante Kotoko).

When choosing to Africa's Player of the Century ( English Africa's best player of the Century ) came Mensah as the only listed goalkeeper on the 39th; With this, Mensah finished fifth behind Abédi Pelé (3rd place), Anthony Yeboah (24th place), Abdul Razak (31st place) and Opoku Nti (37th place) and left his compatriots Adolf Armah and Ibrahim Sunday (both 44th place) in the process . Place) behind.

Circumstances of death and reception

On October 30, 1971, Mensah met some friends in the Credo Bar in Tema. After an argument between two friends, there was an argument between Robert Mensah and Isaac Melfah, whereupon the latter left the bar; 15 minutes later, Mensah also left. In front of the bar there was an argument between the two and Melfah stuck a broken bottle in the goalkeeper's stomach , causing Mensah's intestines to ooze. Emmanuel Sagoe, a close friend of Mensah, found the "Black Stars" member leaning against a wall a little later and had him taken to Tema General Hospital . After an initially successful operation, Mensah was able to give the police a statement. Robert Mensah died 32-year-old on November 2 to 2:30 serious, injury-related infection ; he left behind his wife and four children.

Mensah's body was transferred to Kumasi and finally to Cape Coast in the following days. A two-day vigil was held in Accra . At the end of 2003, the body was to be reburied from Asokyeano Cemetery in Victoria Park .

The Ghanaian Parliament ( English Parliament of Ghana ) held a two-minute silence after his death ; President Edward Akufo-Addo and Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia also laid flowers on Mensah's grave.

Five days after Mensah's death, the African Cup of Champions Clubs semi-final first leg between Great Olympics from Accra and Asante Kotoko was to take place. In honor of the goalkeeper, the game was postponed for a week; for a 1: 1 draw and a 1: 0 victory finally attracted the "porcupine" from Kumasi to the final, where they after three games the (0: 3: -: - 2 1 0 0) Cameroonians of Canon Yaounde documents .

In 1972, 31-year-old electrician Isaac Melfah was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment with forced labor for manslaughter .

In front of the stadium of Mensah's last club, Asante Kotoko, the Kumasi Sports Stadium , a statue was placed in memory of the goalkeeper.

In 2003, the Cape Coast Sports Stadium , home of the Ebusua Dwarfs, was renamed Robert Mensah Stadium .

Web links

• 50 Years of African Football (DVD No. 3) ( English ) In: fifa.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  • Path names : \ The stars of the past \ Robert Mensah and \ The stars of the past \ Robert Mensah \ Photo gallery

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 1966: Coup Detat Spoils League ( English ) In: ghanaweb.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
2. ↑ 1969 - Susubiribi miss golden chance ( English ) In: ghanaweb.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Big man, big hands, big heart: remembering Robert Mensah, one of Africa's greats ( English ) In: guardian.co.uk . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
4. ↑ Honor late Robert Mensah - Bless FC boss ( English ) In: modernghana.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Robert Mensah 38 years Ago ( English ) In: kenbediako.com . Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 30, 2011. 
6. ↑ 50 Years of African Football (DVD No. 2) ( English ) In: fifa.com . Archived from the original on July 8, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 30, 2011. 
7. ↑ Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968: Ghana ( German ) In: fifa.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
8. ↑ XIX. Olympiad Mexico 1968 Football Tournament ( English ) In: rsssf.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
9. ↑ FIFA player statistics: Robert MENSAH ( German ) In: fifa.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
10. ↑ African Player of the Year 1970 ( English ) In: rsssf.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
11. ↑ African Player of the Year 1971 ( English ) In: rsssf.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
12. ↑ IFFHS 'Century Elections: Africa - Player of the Century ( English ) In: rsssf.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
13. ↑ Robert Mensah's Body To Be Exhumed ( English ) In: modernghana.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
14. ^ African Club Competitions 1971 ( English ) In: rsssf.com . Retrieved September 30, 2011.
15. ↑ Ohene Djan will be back ( English ) In: ghanaian-chronicle.com . Retrieved on September 30, 2011.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.