1992 captaincy row: Otto Pfister ‘exposes’ Tony Yeboah

A claim by legendary Ghanaian striker Tony Yeboah that the controversial captaincy change at the 1992 AFCON was occasioned by ‘a letter from Accra’ has been dispelled by the then Black Stars coach Otto Pfister

Yeboah alleged in a GTV interview that Otto Pfister’s decision to sidestep him and hand the captaincy to Tony Baffoe was based on an instruction from Accra.

According to former Leeds United striker, the German gaffer made the move after he was directed by unseen hands to give the armband to Baffoe.

Speaking on the Tracker show, Otto Pfister denied those assertions, insisting there was no such letter from Accra.

According to him, the decision to make Baffoe the captain was because he appeared to be a neutral figure in a team that was divided on tribal lines.

He reasoned that Baffoe did not belong to any of the factions in the team’s camp.

“No. I have seen some stories like that from Tony Yeboah. I was surprised by it as well. To make things clear, I never received a letter from Accra.

“I don’t even know who brings these letters or even who receives it. I don’t know if it was for the Federation officials there or myself. But I never received a letter from Accra based on my decision to name Tony Baffoe as Black Stars captain ahead of the final game with Ivory Coast”.

“But Tony Baffoe was also a great player; he played in Dusseldorf and also played with Metz in France. But beyond all that, he was the most neutral. He was absolutely neutral, that’s why I gave him the captain”.

In the lead up to the 1992 AFCON final, Otto Pfister made a decision that has turned out to be one of the most controversial topics involving the Black Stars.

With substantive skipper Abedi Pele ruled out of the match against Ivory Coast, Yeboah was next in line for the role but the coach strangely opted for Baffoe.

It triggered divisions in the team’s camp and is often mentioned as a reason for the defeat against the Ivorians.