Reverend Samuel Tandoh, alias Osofo Dito Dito, a former spiritual leader of Accra Hearts of Oak, has given the backstory to Laryea Kingston’s infamous ‘show your buttocks’ incident in 2001.
Followers of the Ghana Premier League will recall that Laryea Kingston, after scoring a goal against Accra Great Olympics, celebrated by showing his backside to the crowd at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Disclosing the story behind it, Osofo Dito Dito explained that days prior to the game, Laryea Kingston verbally abused him and questioned his relevance to the team’s cause.
According to him, Laryea Kingston, who was then on the books of Hearts of Oak, questioned why he would be paid for his spiritual services to the team.
The leader of the Heaven Sent Ministry said that he was pained by the actions of Laryea Kingston and cursed him, predicting that he would replicate his actions in the presence of a bigger crowd.
“What happened at the Accra Sports Stadium in 2001? What made Laryea Kingston go naked after scoring a goal against Accra Great Olympics? Laryea Kingston insulted me, questioning why I took money from the club after prayers. He insulted me in Ga and showed his buttocks. I cursed him that day,” he told Peace FM.
Osofo Dito Dito, who grew up a Hearts of Oak fan, said that he no longer follows the club as he is pained by their treatment of him.
According to him, despite his integral role in the team’s dominance in the early 2000s, the club failed to recognize him and give him his due as their spiritual leader.
He prophesied that Hearts of Oak will continue to suffer and struggle in the Ghana Premier League until they do right by him.
“I used to be a Hearts of Oak supporter, but now I have stopped. Every worker deserves his due, but when your work doesn’t get the needed recognition, you don’t go back to it. It will be difficult for Hearts of Oak to get back to its glory days. Things will actually get worse next season. They will play ten games and win none of them,” he said.
His claims were corroborated by former Hearts skipper, Yaw Amankwa Mireku, who attested to the instrumental role Osofo Dito Dito played in the team’s success.
Amankwa Mireku believes that the team committed a grave error by not rewarding the man of God with something substantial for his dedicated service to the team.
He outlined the pastor’s spiritual guidance in Hearts of Oak’s journey to the CAF Champions League success in 2000.
EK