24/02/2026
On this day in 1966, then President Dr Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown in a couple detat.
Shortly after the National Liberation Council (NLC), took power, they removed Ohene Djan from his position as Director of the Central Organisation of Sports (COS) which functioned essentially as county's sports ministry at the time.
Due to his close association with Nkrumah's government and his influential role in sports administration, Djan was dismissed shortly after the coup. The NLC banned him from public activities, which also led to his removal from positions in international bodies like the FIFA Executive Committee and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
To overhaul the sports sector and distance it from the previous regime's structures, the NLC established a review committee, often referred to as the Tibo Committee (headed by retired Police Commissioner A.A. Tibo), to examine and reorganize sports administration in the country.
This review process contributed to the eventual dissolution of the COS and its replacement with new structures, such as the Sports Council of Ghana (established in 1968 through relevant decrees), aiming for decentralization and a shift away from the centralized, powerful model under Djan.
This was part of a broader post-coup effort to purge Nkrumah-era officials and institutions, including in sports, where Djan had been a key figure in advancing Ghana's (and Africa's) sporting profile during the early independence years.
The Osagyefo's Own Club, known as Real Republicans Sporting Club which had been formed in 1960 by Ohene Djan was dissolved, along with Ghana Independence FC, which was owned by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's security advisor, Ambrose Yankey.
