GFA's VP Anagblah dies
by Gary Al-Smith 14 June 2012, 13:50
The Vice President of the Ghana Football Association has died. Jordan Anagblah passed away at the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Hospital on Thursday morning.
He had been ill for several months and was thought to have improved following a trip to South Africa for treatment. However, symptoms set in again recently and he has been at SSNIT Hospital for observation. His family - he left behind a wife and children - have asked for privacy at this difficult time.
Legacy
Jordan was crazy about youth football and talent development. While others looked for the glory that came with being associated with the senior national team, the Greater Accra Regional Football Association Chairman sought to grass the increasingly bare pasture that is talent scouting and football development.
His most famous portfolio, perhaps, will be as head of the Black Satellites Management Committee. In effect, he was in charge of that powerful under 20 team that conquered Africa and also won the World Youth Championships in Egypt.
He was also Chief Executive of Mighty Jets, who have just been relegated from the Ghana Premier League.
Football politics
Politically, Anagblah was a colossus on the football scene in Ghana. He was known for his directness and candour at a time when football administration is known to be murky and shady.
Ebo Appiah, who dealt with him severally in the wake of the heated debate on the future of then-Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic, described Anagblah as "unshakeable". Other football people SuperSport.com spoke to variously called him "a man's man", "loyal" and "maverick".
Jordan has been in service of Ghana football for almost half a century.
Religious affairs
For more than 40 years, Jordan had been an open atheist. But in the wake of his recent ailments, the Ghana FA vice publicly declared his conversion to Christianity.
On his return from South Africa where it was reported that he was very close to death, he spoke to Accra-based Top Radio.
"God healed me and right now I am very strong. There is no power mightier than that of God. I was declared dead but after 72 hours God healed me. I therefore give thanks to God for healing me."
This happened after an encounter with a stranger on his sickbed in South Africa, according to him. "For over 40 years I had never gone to church, but during my illness in my room, someone came into my room, prayed with me and told me that I am healed. She was an old lady whom I never saw again, but I have not felt pains from that day. That is why I am now a born again Christian."
This was last month, and Anagblah had declared his intentions to combine his commitments in football with evangelizing about Jesus Christ.
