How JE Sarpong intervened when Accra Academy nearly rejected Asamoah Gyan

Veteran Ghanaian football coach, Joseph Emmanuel (JE) Sarpong has disclosed that it took his intervention for Asamoah Gyan to be enrolled at Accra Academy.

He explained that at the time, he was the sports master at the school and recognized Gyan’s footballing potential, so he decided to enroll him.

The former Aduana Stars manager noted that the then headmistress of the school, the late Mrs Loko, initially rejected the idea of admitting the future Black Stars legend, citing suspicions of bribery. However, investigations proved otherwise.

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“I saw him at Gbawe, so I took him to Accra Academy. My headmistress then, Loko, said she would not admit Asamoah Gyan. Why? In those days, there was talk in town that when you went to school, some masters collected money to push boys into admission. I think Loko suspected I was part of that. So she didn’t want to admit him. They did a background check to see whether I had collected money from his parents, but they were told no, I hadn’t collected anything,” Sarpong explained during an interview with Sporty FM.

Coach JE Sarpong noted that even after the probe, Loko was reluctant to admit Gyan, which compelled him to threaten a strike and possibly quit the school.

He stated that this action forced the headmistress to eventually admit Gyan, marking the beginning of his career, something that makes him proud today.

“So I said, ‘Okay, madam, if you don’t admit Asamoah Gyan, I’ll give you one month. I’ll stay home for one month. If nothing changes, I’ll leave the school.’ I knew he was a potential star. The woman thought I was joking, but I stopped going to school. One day, she sent her secretary to call me. I said, ‘Tell her I won’t come unless she promises to admit Gyan. Otherwise, forget it, I’ll apply to another school.’ She was alarmed because, at that time, the school relied heavily on sports, and losing the sports master would have been a big blow.

“So eventually, she gave me the admission letter to hand over to Asamoah. That was the beginning. Even at Accra Academy, before you were admitted, you had to bring a cutlass and a broom. Gyan’s father came without those items, so I went to the storekeeper, collected them, and gave them to his father. That’s how Asamoah Gyan started his journey. That was the beginning,” he added.

Watch the interview below:

I took Asamoah Gyan from his Gbawe House to Accra Academy- J.E Sarpong #SportyDrive pic.twitter.com/awbmMD9ZZ9

— SportyFM Ghana (@SportyFM_) April 24, 2026

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