Naapke Attuquayefio, the brother of the late Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, has revealed that the family considers the demise of the former Hearts of Oak and Black Stars coach as a blessing in disguise.

Coach Attuquayefio died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Tuesday morning after battling throat cancer for eight years.

The remains have since been moved to the Korle Bu mortuary.

Speaking to Starr Sports, Naapke Attuquayefio said he is relieved that his brother’s painful battle with cancer has ended.

“We are saddened by the demise but we are relieved that the Lord has taken Jones out of his misery considering the fact that he had battled cancer for eight years”.

The son of the late Attuquayefio, Calvin Attuquayefio also told Starr Sports that he is not surprised at the death of his father.

“Apart from the labour ward I don’t know which ward he hasn’t been to in Korle Bu. He was even due for another surgery… I think we should leave it this way and thank our maker for what has happened,” Calvin said.

Meanwhile, the family of the late Attuquayefio has confirmed that the legendary coach will only be buried after the ban on drumming and noise-making is lifted.

Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio's career highlights.

PLAYING CAREER:

1962 – 65 – A member of Ghana’s students international football team and at the same time a member of the Ghana Academicals team.

1962 –63 – Played for Accra Standfast F/C, a first division team 1963 –65 – Ghana Republicans F/C 1966 –74 – Accra Great Olympics F/C

INTERNATIONAL CAREER:

1965 –74 – A member of the team that won the African Cup of Nations in 1965 and was also among in the squads that participated in the finals of the African Cup in 1968 and 1970.

ADMINISTRATION:

1982 –84 – Rose through the ranks of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to the position of Vice Chairman of the Association. 1995 –97 – Deputy General Secretary GFA

COACHING CAREER:

1974 –84 – Started with Accra Great Olympics where he was the head coach.

1985 –87 – Assistant coach of the senior national team, the Black Stars 1988 –90 – Coached Okwawu United then later moved to Cote d’ Ivoire to handle Stade Abidjan.

1990 –95 – Returned to manage Goldfields Football club and Academy, and during his tenure the Obuasi team dominated the local scene winning the Premier League three times on the run.

1996 – Assisted coach Sam Arday to take the National Under-23 soccer team, the Black Meteors to the Atlanta Olympic Games where they won bronze medal.

1998 –99 – Coached the National Under-17 team, the Black Starlets to win the African Under-17 Cup in Guinea and followed it up to win bronze at the World Under-17 tournament in New Zealand in 1999.

1998 –2001 – Engaged by Hearts of Oak and assisted the team to win four League championships and two Knockout trophies.

2000 — Won the CAF Champions League to give Hearts its first and only continental title in their 93 years existence. In the same year, he was given an additional responsibility of coaching the senior national team, the Black Stars through the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup qualifying series.

2001 — He again chalked another first in the annals of Ghana soccer when he led Hearts to beat Zamalek to win the CAF Super Cup at the Kumasi Sports Stadium. The same year he was fired as coach of the Black Stars after a string of poor results.

2002 — Left Hearts of Oak and joined Dansoman-based Liberty Professionals briefly.

2003 — He was named coach of the Benin National team, the Squirrels and in that same year qualified them to their first Africa Nation’s Cup finals.

2004 — Led Benin to their first Africa Nations Cup appearance in Tunisia. After the tournament, he left Benin for Ghana claiming that the Benin FA had failed to fulfil its financial obligations to him as stipulated the contract. He has since resigned from the position as the head coach of Benin.

AWARDS:

1973 – MOV. Member of the Order of Volta (Civil Division Ghana) 2001 – Was named the African Coach of the year for 2000 for leading Hearts to win their fist Continental trophy and also won the SWAG Coach of the year award.

He was again awarded the Nana Kumi Gyamfi’s Best Coach Award for guiding Hearts to win the league for the fifth time on the trot at the “Star/GFA Gala Awards Night, 2001?.