Ghana club rivalry: Blessing or curse?

Two football clubs in Ghana stand as bitter rivals. And their rivalry is threatening the stability of the entire Ghanaian football league. Even the club mottos of the two teams, Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, sound more like war cries than something fitting sporting rivalry.

"Never say die until the bones are rotten", Hearts of Oak proclaim. "When you kill thousands another emerges," trumpets Asante Kotoko.

"Talking about Hearts of Oak is a haram (sin)!" exclaims Eward Awuah Nyameke, a man of Ashanti origin in central Ghana.

"It is better for a pregnant goat to beat Hearts of Oaks than for Asante Kotoko club to beat us," Nelson Nwokolo, Hearts of Oak Director, bursts out with a voice conveying his emotion.

Bitter rivalry

With Ghana being the first African nation to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a spotlight has been shone on the country's longest and most bitter sporting rivalry. Hearts of Oak was founded in Accra in 1911, while Asante Kotoko emerged in 1935, in central Ghana, home of the famed Ashanti Kingdom.

But at what point did this rivalry start?

Osei Kofi, Asante Kotoko Communication Director and former player of both Asanate Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, is of the opinion that the rivalry goes back to the inception of the Premier league in 1960.

Since then, Asante has won the League Cup title 21 times. That is one more than Hearts of Oak. Strikingly, Asante Kotoko, also known as the Porcupine Warriors, managed to beat Hearts of Oak only once after 16 years of trying. And that in Hearts of Oak's own fief, the Ohene Djan stadium in Accra, in one of the league matches during the 2009 season.

Spirit of competitiveness

The rivalry instils a spirit of competitiveness in the Ghanaian League. The tension created generates great excitement. Most experts agree that a low-key rivalry means a dull league. This rivalry could be a catalyst for the quality of Ghanaian football. The two clubs have produced outstanding African players and the present Ghanaian national team boasts players from both teams.

However, the rivalry may jeopardize the championship if not checked. In 2001, 127 people were killed in a stampede during the league finals played between the two clubs. Again in February 2009, four people suffocated in a crowded stadium in an incident relating to fans turning out en masse to support their clubs.

A religion

This rivalry is sustained in Ghana and most countries by the general belief that football is a religion, a tradition.

"A supporter once brought his child to be sacrificed for Asante to ensure the club would win," says Osei Kofi, the former player of both clubs.

Heart's Nwokolo, and Asante's Kofi both subscribe to "supporters education," to solve the problem. Both, however, point to issues in officiating the matches. Referees are accused of taking bribes fuelling the bitter rivalry.

FIFA referee, Mercy Togoe, guided by the rules of the game and her dignity, disagrees with club officials and thinks the Ghanaian press fans the rivalry. As she wonders, "Why should the press single out the two clubs and hype them up?"

It seems the rivalry between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak has a vested interest from many in Ghanaian society.