According to former Black Stars coach Kwasi Appiah, his well-known nickname, Mayele, was given to him by Asante Kotoko supporters.
The former Kotoko defender claims that the name Mayele was given to him by the crowd for controlling the dangerous Congolese winger Mayele during a match against Balende in the 1980s.
When the Black Stars met what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1981 during the 1982 AFCON qualifiers, Mayele was a threat for Ghana. In an interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah, Kwasi Appiah said he had previously chastised Mayele.
“We played against Zaire in Ghana and the game ended two-all. Mayele was a winger and his tighs were three times bigger than mine. And according to the media, he scores anytime he faces Ghana. He scored one of the goals in the game we played. Offei Ansah marked him in the first half, then Desmond Lamptey marked him in the second half. Both of them could play 2 and 3 so they just swapped. So in the second leg, I was fresh at the Black Stars and it was within that period Abele also came. So we were the youngest players on the team. So I played the away game and we won 2-1. He(Mayele) got substituted,” he said on YouTube.
He came to the conclusion that he earned the moniker after defeating Mayele once more in Kotoko vs. Balende, their second match.
“So afterward, Kotoko met his club, Balende, and I did the same thing. So the supporters gave me the name after conquering him again.”
The sole Ghanaian victory away from home against Central African opponents since 1965 was a 2-1 victory over Zaire (DR Congo) in 1981. With a 4-3 overall result, Ghana had qualified for the 1982 AFCON thanks to the victory.
The Black Stars won the competition that Libya hosted, their fourth and final triumph in the past 40 years.
