Born in the year 1959 to Ernest Kumi and Madam Akua Nkrumah, Francis Kumi had to start life from a background that could well be described as poor. And coming from a broken home the challenges were even more daunting. But in this was the inspiration to get into football.

“I got into football because of financial reasons. It wasn’t very easy to make ends meet and soccer provided me with enough resources to bring some comfort into my life”.

Francis Kumi started his soccer career with Division Two side - Akyiase Kwaebibrem, in his small town Akyem-Akyiase around 1973. Fortune was soon to smile at him when Akyiase Kwaebibrem played Agona Swedru Fankobaa in a friendly match. Fankobaa was then playing in the Division One league and Kumi recounts with nostalgia events of the past.

“I gave off my best in that match and the officials of Fankobaa were so impressed. I quite remember that one of their “big men” Mr. Graham came to see me in my village with an offer to play for Fankobaa.

“Initially I did not want to live my family at Akyiase but I wanted to play soccer at the highest level and moreover the money was good. I was offered ¢4,000 and that was very good money at the time”.

Breakthrough

In 1974 and at age 15, young Francis signed to play in the Division One soccer league where the big clubs, Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak were all competing.

“It was not easy at all playing against these sides but with dedication, hard work and prayers, I was able to make it.

“In my first season I was second highest goal scorer and three years after playing in Division One, I caught the eyes of the officials of the senior national team, the Black Stars. “Those were the days of the likes of Dan Owusu and Kwasi Owusu who were some of the senior players in the team. Together with the likes of Emmanuel Quarshie, Abdul Razak, Mohammed Polo and Isaac Paha, we formed a closely-knit side.

“Again, it was very challenging playing for the national team and the competition was very keen. I shared the left flank with Mohammed Polo and sometimes I played on the right flank. However, even though competition for places was very keen, we were very united and that was very important. Without unity there was no way we could have won honours for the nation”.

With such an impressive performance it didn’t take long for the scouts of the Porcupine Warriors to get him into the Porcupine family. “It had always been a dream to play a big club thus, when Simms Mensah, then Chairman of Kotoko came to my village to negotiate for my release to join Kotoko, I was more than elated. Simms took me to Kumasi to watch one of Kotoko’s matches and I was really impressed with the support base of the club.

To me playing with a great crowd supporting me was a feeling I really yearned for, and I also liked the brotherliness in the team. Those were the days of Kofi Badu, Asaase, Papa Arko among others”.

During his stay with Kotoko, Francis Kumi won the league championship for three seasons, 1980, 1981 and 1982. In his first year with Kotoko, he won the national Footballer of the Year award. Success with the Black Stars was also glowing, winning the Nations Cup in 1978 in Accra and 1982 in Libya. As his career blossomed, he looked beyond the national league. A career in Europe was beckoning at him.

Foreign sojourn

For five years Francis Kumi plied his trade in foreign land. He was the first Ghanaian international to play in the French Division One league with Bordeaux. “ I was invited for trials with the French side by one of their officials by name Didier. I spent two weeks there and my first match was against the national team of Spain, which we drew 2-2. I scored both goals for Bordeaux. The Coach of Bordeaux, former Coach of the French national team, Aime Jacquet was very impressed with my performance.

“A message was immediately sent to Ohene Djan, Special adviser to the Kotoko chairman to come over to Paris so as to help finalise the agreement. I spent three seasons at Bordeaux and some of my teammates included, Tigana, Tresor and Alain Giresse.

“When I left Bordeaux, I headed straight for the Middle East, precisely Dubai to continue my career. In Dubai, the standard of soccer was not very high, but the contract was very good and that was one of the main motivating factors, especially as I was getting to the twilight of my career. There were other African players in Dubai.

“When I returned to Ghana in 1985 I had a short stint with Accra Great Olympics. Actually, I had intended to go back to Kotoko, but I had some very important commitments in Accra. Also, offers kept pouring in and I knew I could leave the shores of Ghana at any moment.

In 1987 Francis Kumi left for Gabon to continue his career with CSB and then later F.C. Sanseng. “After Gabon I felt I had had enough of football. It was now time to settle down and concentrate on my family”

Success and Discipline

“Make no mistake they go hand in hand. One of the things a footballer must be very conscious of is that without discipline there can be no success. The two are bedfellows. As a footballer this was one of my shining principles. I always maintained high moral standards.

“Of course there were players who would go clubbing but not me. After a tough game and a hard fought victory I preferred to relax. Once in a while, I would go out but that was not the norm. You would not believe this, I had a disco but I never partied there. It was never my style.

“In those days we played soccer because we loved it. Thus, we were very dedicated. But the situation is quite different today. It appears other things stand out prominent”.

Kotoko and Black Stars today

“I was surprised to know that Kotoko had not been able to win any league title since 1992. That is very disappointing. Because I have been out of the system for so long a time I may not be able to pinpoint the reasons. But one of the areas that must be closely watched is soccer administration. If the right men are put at the helm of affairs we cannot be missing the league title for such a long period of time. Kotoko is the heart of Ashanti, and it may interest you to know that even in some parts of Europe, Kotoko is a well-known name.

“I guess now that the team is winning, it makes every sense to assume that things are getting better.

“About the Black Stars, I guess the main problem of the team is inconsistency. For a long time we’ve not been able to maintain a consistent team. “No team can thrive under such inconsistency. The players need to play together for a long time, and get to know each other’s style of play. We also need to maintain a coach for a longer duration than we’ve done in the past decade. This helps in team building. It is bad to note that in about ten years we’ve had over ten coaches. This can never give us any good result”.

Life Today and the Future

Life may have been exciting as a footballer but Francis Kumi has one disappointment: “I have three boys and a girl but none of the boys is interested in pursuing a career as a footballer, even though they look promising.

“Sometimes, I take them to the beach and teach them a few skills in soccer, but that has not been enough enticement. I wish at least one of them would have taken to soccer, but I can’t complain much. I have to respect their interests”.

In Belgium Francis Kumi is gradually building himself as a good soccer coach, and is presently pursuing a coaching course.

“Now I am involved with youngsters drawn from around Africa. Well, you could call it a team of African footballers in Belgium. The team is being financed by Anderlecht, who asked me to organise the boys.

“I also have other business interests in Belgium. Hopefully, one day I hope to come back home to give back to my country what they gave me.”