The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has sent a heartfelt message of condolence to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) on the passing of Ghana legend Opoku Afriyie.
In a letter signed by CAF General Secretary, Abdelmounaim Bah and sent to the GFA General Secretary on Monday, CAF, expressed sympathy to the late Afriyie’s family and the Ghanaian football public.
“We would like to convey our heartfelt and deepest words of sympathy to the Ghanaian Football Association, the family of the late Opoku Afriyie and the entire football family during this period of mourning,” the statement read.
Opoku Afriyie, a former Asante Kotoko, Accra Hearts of Oak and Ghana forward, died on Sunday, March 29, 2020 after a short illness.
He was a member of Ghana’s 1978 and 1982 Africa Cup of Nations winning squads.
The GFA had earlier expressed their condolence to the families of late Ghanaian football legends Opoku Afriyie and Kwasi Owusu.
Afriyie who passed away aged 65 died Sunday morning while his fellow Owusu passed away in the early hours of Monday at age 72.
Owusu rose to fame after his heroics in the 1970 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Niger by scoring five goals in the first leg and four goals in the return encounter in Niamey in 1969.
The bulky striker, affectionately referred to as ‘Powerhouse’ scored nine goals in both ties to hand Ghana qualification.
He captained the Black Stars at the 1970 Africa Cup of Nations held in Sudan.
Owusu was part of the 1968 and 1970 squads that lost the finals to Congo Kinshasa and host nation Sudan respectively, scoring four goals.
A statement on GFA’s website reads: “The GFA received with shock news of the demise of former Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak player Opoku Afriyie on Sunday.
“The Association was again hit with news of the death of another legend and one time Ghana’s all time scorer Kwasi Owusu on Monday morning.
“The thoughts and prayers of the GFA and the entire football fraternity are with their families at this time. May their souls rest in perfect peace.”
