Anthony Baffoe
Encyclopedia
Anthony Baffoe is a former Ghana
ian football
player. As the son of a Ghanaian diplomat, Baffoe grew up near to the former West German capital of Bonn and made a name for himself in the 1980s in the Bundesliga, becoming a real crowd favourite for 1. FC Köln
and Fortuna Düsseldorf
.
at 18 years of age before moving across the border to join French side FC Metz
nearly 10 years later. Baffoe was the first recognized black player to appear in the German Bundesliga. After 74 German top flight appearances for Köln and Düsseldorf merely he played for a further seven clubs, including spells in Hong Kong and Caracas.
and 1994 African Cup of Nations
.
Currently Baffoe occupies several functions for the African Football Confederation (CAF), as well as for FIFA. He is a member of FIFA and CAF Football Committees. He also serves as a Match Commissioner and General Coordinator for CAF and FIFA sanctioned tournaments. In February 2006 he was named "Director for International Relations" for the Ghana national football team
. He is the founder and General Secretary of the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana. In that capacity is in close contact with the FIFPro Players’ association and works in collaboration with the Ghana Football Association.
Baffoe is a FIFA Ambassador for campaign against racism, a FIFA ambassador for SOS Children's Village and an ambassador for Play Soccer Ghana.
. Baffoe is also the brother of German actress Liz Baffoe, who is famous for her role in the German TV seriesLindenstraße
.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player. As the son of a Ghanaian diplomat, Baffoe grew up near to the former West German capital of Bonn and made a name for himself in the 1980s in the Bundesliga, becoming a real crowd favourite for 1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
and Fortuna Düsseldorf
Fortuna Düsseldorf
' is a German association football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, currently playing in the second tier of German league football, the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga...
.
Club career
The much-travelled Baffoe played for clubs on four different continents. He spent the majority of his career in the German First and Second Bundesliga, starting in 1983 at 1. FC Köln1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
at 18 years of age before moving across the border to join French side FC Metz
FC Metz
Football Club de Metz, commonly referred to as simply Metz , is a French association football club based in Metz. The club was formed in 1932 and has spent most of its history in the Ligue 1, though they currently play in Ligue 2, the second level in French football league system. Metz plays its...
nearly 10 years later. Baffoe was the first recognized black player to appear in the German Bundesliga. After 74 German top flight appearances for Köln and Düsseldorf merely he played for a further seven clubs, including spells in Hong Kong and Caracas.
International career
Baffoe was the first Ghanaian expatriate-player to play for the Black Stars. He was capped 16 times for Ghana, notably at 19921992 African Cup of Nations
The 1992 African Cup of Nations was the 18th edition of the African Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa . It was hosted by Senegal. The field expanded to twelve teams, split into four groups of three; the top two teams in each group advanced to the quarterfinals...
and 1994 African Cup of Nations
1994 African Cup of Nations
-Group B:---------Group C:---------Group D:---------Knockout Stages:-Quarterfinals:-------------Semifinals:-----Third place playoff:-Final:-Scorers:5 goals Rashidi Yekini4 goals Joël Tiéhi...
.
Retirement
After his playing career Baffoe used his broad popularity to set up and front a new TV magazine show devoted to youth football. He was successful on German television in various sport programmes and is the regular host of Viasat One's Uefa Champions League show in Ghana. After a few years, the former defensive utility man evolved into a well-known representative of the African continent and his home country of Ghana.Currently Baffoe occupies several functions for the African Football Confederation (CAF), as well as for FIFA. He is a member of FIFA and CAF Football Committees. He also serves as a Match Commissioner and General Coordinator for CAF and FIFA sanctioned tournaments. In February 2006 he was named "Director for International Relations" for the Ghana national football team
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
. He is the founder and General Secretary of the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana. In that capacity is in close contact with the FIFPro Players’ association and works in collaboration with the Ghana Football Association.
Baffoe is a FIFA Ambassador for campaign against racism, a FIFA ambassador for SOS Children's Village and an ambassador for Play Soccer Ghana.
Personal life
Baffoe and his wife Kalsoume have three children, Shaquille, Boukeem and Keisheira. He is the uncle of the German U-17 national member and 1. FC Köln player Reinhold YaboReinhold Yabo
Reinhold Yabo is a Ghanaian-German footballer, who is currently playing for the German club Alemannia Aachen in the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga of the Fußball-Bundesliga. He holds both a Ghanaian passport and a German passport.-Career:Yabo began his career with Teutonia Niedermerz and joined 2001 into...
. Baffoe is also the brother of German actress Liz Baffoe, who is famous for her role in the German TV seriesLindenstraße
Lindenstraße
Lindenstraße is a German television show on ARD's Das Erste, one of Germany's two publicly administered TV channels. The first episode was aired on December 8, 1985, and since then has been broadcast weekly. Its current timeslot on Das Erste is Sundays at 6:50 pm...
.
External links
- Anthony Baffoe at worldfootball.net
- Player profile - FC Metz