Former Kumasi Asante Kotoko forward, Opoku Nti
Former Kumasi Asante Kotoko forward, Opoku Nti has disclosed that he was the first Black and Ghanaian to ever play in Switzerland.
Nti spent two seasons with Servette in the Swiss Super League from 1984 to 1986 before returning to Asante Kotoko for his second stint, having already played for the Porcupine Warriors from 1980-1985.
He won the Swiss Championship in 1984, placed runners-up in the Swiss Cup and went on to play in the UEFA Champions League.
According to the former Kotoko CEO, when he first landed in Sweden, he saw himself as the only black but was later joined by former Cameroonian international Theophile Abega who played for FC Vevey United and Morocco’s Aziz Bouderbala who featured for FC Sion.
“There were no black footballers and no Ghanaian players when I arrived in Switzerland but there was one African called Aziz Bouderbala who played for FC Sion. We were the only African to play in Switzerland then and the atmosphere at the stadium was massive. You turn around to watch the fans and they are all whites. But all the same I enjoyed my stay in Switzerland”, he told Dan Kweku Yeboah.
Popularly nicknamed “Zico”, Nti featured in Ghana's 1982 African cup winning side and was subsequently named Africa's best player a year later by the African Sportswriters Association.
He scored a total of 142 goals in 362 games for Asante Kotoko during his five-year stay. He went on to play for Aarau and Baden in the Swiss Championship respectively.
LNS/KPE
