As a person whose education delayed because of strange circumstances, I would like to fast forward my write up to my time at Ghana’s most prestigious second cycle school, Accra Academy.

Stepping into the school of no regret 13 years ago, I had harbored just one thing in mind and that was to become a great sportsman after school.

I harbored that idea for long because I had heard of the Myles Mills brothers who ran for Ghana’s athletics team with Leo being the nation’s 100 metres record holder, Princeton Owusu Ansah, who enjoyed his football career with Obuasi Goldfields now AshantiGold and Accra Hearts of Oak’s 1997 FIFA U-17 kingpin, Owusu Afriyie and later ex-Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan all being former students of Accra Academy.

Having made a single digit from my BECE which is often seen as rare among sports people, I gained admission into Accra Academy to read General Arts.

Many were not surprised because a greater percentage of people who saw me play and those I played with knew I prioritized education over football but I had other ideas.

While my team and playing mates,Seth Opare and goalkeeper Daniel Adjei were grinding the mill at Colts side,BT International, Karim Alhassan making waves at Cedabs and later Nikwabs, Gilbert Fiamenyo at Powerful Goil, I was trying my best to impress veteran coach J.E Sarpong who was then the Physical Education master at The Accra Academy.

Two weeks after orientation and familiarization for the first years’, my dream of becoming a good sportsman was just materializing when Coach Sarpong announced a justifier for footballers during students’ assembly one morning.

The day came for everyone to display his talent and prowess for a slot in the school team.

To be honest my heart leapt heavily when I saw a crowd of first years trooping to the then grassless but now astroturf pitch to fight for a place in the school team.

Having eleven sets of about 8 teams for 15 minutes in each half, tells how ready almost 100 students were ready to represent the “bleooo” jersey.

Out of these hundred students, coach Sarpong needed a few good players to add to the already quality and existing forms 2 and 3 who had gathered much experience.

Whistle was blown for the start of the justifier with other first year students who did not take part in the exercise circling the field to see who will be picked.

Coach Sarpong had spread the senior members (forms 2/3) of the school team to monitor which players were qualified for the school team.

Then team captain, Odoi Nsaki who later played for Obuasi Goldfields now AshantiGold was designated to write names of players who will be picked.

Coach Sarpong was then in his prime and will not take any “nonsense” of substandard talent.

Pressure mounted, some players were sacked just after few minutes of matches played as coach Sarpong did not deem them fit to even play in a colt league.

At the end of the justifier, a lot of names were written and we were told to go to our various classrooms and that the selected players will have their names posted on the notice board.

As we all didn’t know who had been selected, we waited with our hearts in our mouths since the names had not been posted on the notice board five days after the justifier.

On the 6th day, which was a Monday, Captain Odoi Nsaki rather moved to the various first year classes to mention names of the selected players.

In form 1 General Arts 1, I could hear names in the next class, 1 Arts 2 which made my heart beat faster.

Finally came the captain to 1 Arts 1 and that was when I realized my class was full of “ Book Longs” as I was the only one selected.

I was told to report for training on Tuesday morning and the idea of meeting coach Sarpong alone was enough joy.

Unfortunately for we the first years, the Inter-Colleges was a month and two weeks away and the school team needed to be put in shape for the competition.

Out of the numerous first years, myself and Emmanuel Kumi a.k.a Saviola were picked for the school team after two weeks of intensive training.

How I managed to make it under coach Sarpong at that time still baffles me till date because combining class, “Ramadan fast”, morning and afternoon training sessions were physically and mentally sucking.

However the man known as SHAPIRO believed in me despite hunger and thirst.

Inter-co was here and was time for selection for our first match against Holy Trinity Cathedral Secondary School(HOTCASS) in a sweltering afternoon at the El-Wak Stadium.

I was in the first 18 but did not dream of starting any game as a first year until coach Sarpong shouted in GA, negb3 boy err ni twaa 2 err yoor?( meaning where is the boy who plays number 2, right back).

Huuuuu!!!! I had never been scared in my young life like that faithful afternoon.

I raised my hand and he included my name in the starting 11 which we won 1-0 after 30 minutes with 15 minutes in each half.

Fear turned into joy as a form 3 student lifted me shoulder high with the other first year students crowded around me to cheer one of their own after we beat HOTCASS.

Coach J E Sarpong just didn’t see a football talent but a leadership quality in me.

We were punished severely anytime we reported late for training, we washed jerseys, we left for home late as we needed to make sure everything was in place.

Little did we know that, coach Sarpong was preparing us for leadership roles.

Captain Odoi Nsaki left after completing his SSSCE Examination with William Aporeigah whom I played with taking over.

William Aporeigah was the suave type of a leader compared to the outgone Odoi Nsaki who was the “military-like“ but with great finesse in human relations.

Coach Sarpong ensured myself and William Aporeigah bonded well as prefectorial elections were drawing nearer in my second year at Accra Aca.

Elections into various positions were opened but I did not fancy any, even that of a “SPORTS CAPTAIN” which my class, school mates and even most of the seniors thought should be my bonafide property.

For the first time in years, I felt proud as every single person in my class pushed me to pick a form and contest for the SPORTS CAPTAINCY.

A classmate, Ernest Kissi Boateng who now lectures in the UK even withdrew his candidature because he felt with me around he could not win.

Coach J.E Sarpong, formerly of Hearts of Oak, Kotoko, Okwawu United, Aduana Stars, Liberty Professionals and Mobile Phone People FC(MPP FC) was almost every day asking how far we had gone with filling of our forms as it took one person almost a month to complete the exercise.

One had to be cleared by the bursary,hall master,form master, class master, school clinic, headmasters in charge of Academics and administration.

After one is cleared by all the departments, then comes the interview session where one would face a panel including all members of the teaching staff, all students numbering about 1,700 then, selected prefects of about 12, the Scripture union and the Physical Education department headed by coach Sarpong.

The penultimate panel was the scripture union and was to be followed by the PE department.

We were done with the scripture union and about stepping out when we were told to wait for the PE department to take its turn in the same room to make things simple.

The appearance of J. E Sarpong sent chills down my spine as we(Adamu Muftawu,Francis Agbetawokpor, Terry Nkrumah) did not know what was in the pipeline.

Sarpong stepped in, looked into our faces and said, Oh!! Muftawu? Terry?Oh Francis is also here? I have nothing to ask them because Muftawu has experience from form 1, Francis joined in form 2 and Terry plays basketball and volleyball so I have the mix.

I just saw heaven at that very moment honestly.

Sarpong believed he had already created leaders before we even picked a form to contest so he knew us inside-out.

We stepped out of the scripture union and I could not believe that I will be the ambassador of over 1,700 students.

We were inducted into office and honestly working with J.E Sarpong was a whole education on its You would have the ”military-like”, ”civilian-like”, “domestic”, “theoretical“ and empirical training under his tutelage.

I needed a recommendation letter to join then very active Obuasi Goldfields now AshantiGold Soccer Academy or any other club to start my football career after secondary school but these were coach Sarpong’s words when I visited him at his bungalow: “ Muftawu, if you don’t go to the University, don’t call me when you see me in town.”

Hmmm, a dream to play football just crashed before me but I took it in good faith.

I hosted him 6 years after he told me to concentrate on education and not football on the defunct TV Gold and it was a beautiful spectacle to behold.

He began by narrating my time at Accra Academy which took 7 out of the 15 minutes I had for the morning sports.

The remaining 8 minutes on the show was history.

Source: Adamu Muftawu