Sports personalities who died in 2021

Death they say is inevitable because just as we were born, will one day depart this earth and return to our Maker per the tenets of the Christian and Islamic beliefs.

Despite the fact that we are aware that death is part of us as humans, the pain of losing a loved one hits hard whenever it occurs.

It is even more painful when an athlete or a sports personality dies at the pinnacle of his or her career.

From the tragic death of Godfred Yeboah to the loss of staunch Accra Hearts of Oak legend Paa Kofi Sumsum, GhanaWeb remembers the sporting personalities who passed away in 2021.

Godfred Yeboah

The former Asante Kotoko defender, Godfred Yeboah popularly known as TV3 passed on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, after battling sickness for almost a month in Sunyani according to reports.

The 41-year-old featured for Asante Kotoko from 2003 to 2012 having played a huge role in the successes of the club across that period.

Yeboah also had four caps for the Ghana national team including a 2006 Word Cup qualifier against DR Congo.

Paa Kofi Sumsum

A staunch supporter of Accra Hearts of Oak, Paa Kofi Sumsum died on Monday, August 2, 2021, after battling a short illness.

Sumsum was an ardent supporter of the Phobians and was a regular voice on sports shows on radio and television and was a former spokesperson for the supporter's wing of Accra Hearts of Oak.

He is remembered for his interview with Supersports ahead of a super clash game between Hearts of Oak vs Asante Kotoko.

Sumsum’s last Facebook post was to celebrate Hearts of Oak’s league triumph in the Ghana Premier League.

He wrote, “It’s done, we thank God for His mercy upon our club, to Him be the glory… mighty Hearts of Oak are champions again.”

Thomas Freeman Yeboah



The sports journalist who specialized in records and statistics and was an expert in the history and statistics of Ghana sports died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on Sunday, February 21, 2021.

Freeman worked at Pulse Ghana for over 7 years and had interesting content on Ghana’s sports including ‘Today in History, ‘Setting the Records Straight’, and in-depth match previews with statistics that were hard to come by.

Cypher Kwaku Drizzle



Media personality Cypher Kwaku Drizzle has passed on December 6, 2021.

The celebrity blogger and broadcast sports journalist died peacefully in his sleep last night, a family member confirms to this website.

Jones Alhassan-Abu



Ghana football suffered a devastating blow on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, when Jones Abu Alhassan died suddenly in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan after battling with a short illness.

He passed away in Abidjan where he was accompanying Hasaacas Ladies to the Wafu B Champions League qualifiers.

The man, who is credited for bringing the GFA President Kurt Okraku into office two years ago, passed away in Abidjan as he was part of the GFA delegation to the tournament.

He died at the age of 64.

Baffour Soccer Academy Coach & PRO

Baffour Soccer Academy, Mohammed Ibrahim, and Public Relations Officer of the academy, Kwaku Adjei passed away five days after their team bus got involved in an accident.

Citi News reported that the incident leading to the unfortunate death occurred on October 26, 2021, at Kyebi Junction, on the Kumasi-Accra Highway.

The football academy which is said to be owned by Ghana’s Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah were on their way to Accra in order to continue pre-season preparations ahead of the start of the 2021/22 Division One League when the tragic car accident occurred.

Baba Kankani of Obourba FM

The sports journalist who worked with Nkawkaw based Obourba FM died in an accident on Monday, June 28, 2021.

He died when coming back from Yayaso to Abirem after covering the Eastern Region Division 2-week 4 matches between Okwawu City and Okwahu United.

The report added that the car somersaulted after the driver lost control. Baba Kankani died on the spot.

Cudjoe Amankwaa



The South African-based Ghanaian sports journalist, Cudjoe Amankwaa was reported dead on Friday, July 23, 2021.

The cause of his death is not immediately known but Kickoff.com's Lorenz Köhler reported that he was rushed to the hospital “after his wife could not wake him up.”

According to the report, Cudjoe Amankwaa “was declared dead upon arrival.”

He worked with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and SuperSport as a sports analyst.