Former Hearts of Oak coach Cecil Jones Attuquayefio
Former Hearts of Oak coach Cecil Jones Attuquayefio’s legend precedes him. His accolades are many and the successes he chalked makes light of how much of an incredible man he was.
May 12 marked 5 years since the legendary coach passed away and on social media, his stories were shared many times.
One of the stories that stood out though was one about his handkerchief. Attuquayefio held that handkerchief in many games, waved it and at times it could be found strapped to the side of his trousers.
Many football fans believed it was some sort of hoodoo that allowed him to win games so easily but his son, Calvin Bruce has disputed those claims.
“He normally had those two face towels. There was a time we played Kotoko and he waved one of the handkerchiefs and according to media people after that wave, things changed,” he recounted in an interview with TV3’s Nana Kweku Anderson.
“Hearts equalized and went on to win the game. So they thought it had something to do with it. So when he also read on it and realized that the focus is on the handkerchief instead of the hard work he is doing, he started displaying it and that’s where he changed and started putting it in front of his trousers,” he continued.
“For him, he was a staunch Christian.”
For all his successes, Attuquayefio did not live his life in a gold fish bowl.
He never wanted to be the focal point of the team and mostly wanted his players to receive the praise.
It is therefore in no doubt that he has been counted as one of the greatest ever coaches in Ghana.
Jones Attuquayefio played for Accra Great Olympics from 1966 to 1974 and managed many teams including the then Obuasi Goldfields, Okwawu United, Liberty Professionals, a brief stint with the Black Stars in 2001 and at Accra Hearts of Oak where he made a name for himself.
He was also the first coach to qualify the Squirrels of Benin to their first ever nations Cup in Tunisia in 2004.
