Jean Tokpa

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Jean Tokpa (* 1934 in Bahibli ; † January 18, 2002 in Abidjan ) was an Ivorian football player who spent most of his career at French professional clubs . In France, his family name is also often spelled Topka .

Career

Jean Tokpa came in 1955 from Africa Sports National from French West Africa to the second division SO Montpellier in the French "mother country". He belonged to the "first wave of footballers from West Africa who were signed by French clubs from the mid-1950s" because they were not considered foreigners until 1962 and thus did not fall under the corresponding restriction of the French association FFF . At Montpellier he immediately became a regular player, but the striker did not yet show the goal threat that characterized him later. The club ended the 1955/56 season at the bottom of the table, but did not have to relegate to the amateur camp because this was not provided for in French professional league operations at the time, and one year later managed to place in the midfield of Division 2 . Jean Tokpa had made such a good impression that René Dedieu , the coach of the first division promoted Olympique Alès , brought him into his team, and the attacker also developed his scoring qualities at this level. In the following two seasons, he finished each top ranks among the most successful protecting the Division 1 : 1957-58, he shot himself in this ranking to seventh place (16 hits) and one year later - was as Ales of Erstdivisionär with most African players - He scored 15 goals, which was enough for 17th place.

Olympique, however, rose again in 1959 to the second division; then Alès' President Jean Sadoul sold him to Racing Paris , at that time one of the best addresses in French football, without Jean Tokpa even being asked or even given him a say - a time when not only African players were almost “slaves of theirs Association ”(according to Raymond Kopa in 1963), quite common practice. Racing coach Pierre Pibarot made the team extremely offensive, from which Tokpa  benefited enormously, especially in his first season there - he stood alongside experienced attackers such as Thadée Cisowski , Joseph Ujlaki and Pierre Grillet : 17 goals made him tenth best in 1959/60 League goalscorer, and Racing's third place was the best place he had achieved with his clubs to date. In the following two seasons he was even runner-up with the capital eleven and in particular missed the championship title by a hair's breadth in 1961/62 ; however, as in the following three years, Topka was only used very sporadically, and accordingly Racing's most accurate shooters of those years were called Ujlaki, Marcel , Heutte , Van Sam , Milutinović or Magny . When the team even had to relegate to Division 2 in 1964 and he was hardly considered at this level, he returned to West Africa and Africa Sports National in 1965. In France, Jean Tokpa had played a total of 133 first division games with 64 goals, in the second division 57 games (14 goals).

Stations

  • until 1955: Africa Sports National Abidjan
  • 1955–1957: SO Montpellier (in D2)
  • 1957-1959: Olympique Alès
  • 1959–1965: Racing Paris (1964/65 in D2)
  • then: Africa Sports National Abidjan

Palmarès

  • French champion: Nothing, but runner-up in 1961, 1962

literature

  • Marc Barreaud: Dictionnaire des footballeurs étrangers du championnat professionnel français (1932-1997). L'Harmattan, Paris 1998, ISBN 2-7384-6608-7
  • Alfred Wahl / Pierre Lanfranchi: Les footballeurs professionnels des années trente à nos jours. Hachette, Paris 1995, ISBN 978-2-0123-5098-4

Web links

Notes and evidence

  1. ↑ for example by Wahl / Lanfranchi and Guillet / Laforge (see under Literature or Notes and Evidence)
  2. ↑ a b Barreaud, p. 136
  3. ↑ Wahl / Lanfranchi, p. 138
  4. ^ Paul Dietschy / David-Claude Kemo-Keimbou (co-editors: FIFA ): Le football et l'Afrique. EPA, o.r. 2008, ISBN 978-2-85120-674-9 , p. 270
  5. ↑ Seasonal information on these statistics from Sophie Guillet / François Laforge: Le guide français et international du football éd. 2009. Vecchi, Paris 2008, ISBN 978-2-7328-9295-5 , pp. 157-163
  6. ↑ Wahl / Lanfranchi, p. 172
  7. ^ Jean Cornu: Les grandes equipes françaises de football. Famot, Genève 1978, p. 108
  8. ↑ after Stéphane Boisson / Raoul Vian: Il était une fois le Championnat de France de Football. Tous les joueurs de la première division de 1948/49 à 2003/04. Neofoot, Saint-Thibault o. J.
  9. ↑ according to his data sheet at footballdatabase.eu (see under web links)
personal data
SURNAME Tokpa, Jean
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Topka, Jean
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ivorian soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH Bahibli , Cote d'Ivoire
DATE OF DEATH January 18, 2002
Place of death Abidjan , Cote d'Ivoire