President Kurt Edwin-Simeon Okraku leads football community to bid farewell to Joseph Ade Coker

President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, led a delegation from the football fraternity to the funeral of Joseph Kobina Ade Coker, former Vice Chairman of the Football Association, in a solemn tribute to one of Ghana football’s respected figures.

The funeral, held on Friday, August 1, 2025, at the forecourt of the State House in Accra, was attended by a host of dignitaries, including President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, and Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.

The late Joseph Kobina Ade Coker, who passed away at the Bank Hospital on Sunday, June 1, 2025 after a short illness, was a passionate advocate for Ghanaian football and a committed public servant. Aged 68, Ade Coker left behind a rich legacy that straddled both sport and politics.

In 1997, he served as Vice Chairman of the Ghana Football Association, where his leadership helped shape the administrative landscape of the sport. He was also the Chairman of Accra Great Olympics, one of Ghana’s most storied football clubs. His influence extended to club development, having founded AC Olympiacos in the early 2000s, a club that competed in the lower tiers of Ghana’s football pyramid before folding.

Beyond football, Ade Coker was a former Consul of the Republic of Belarus and held political office as the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the country's ruling party.

A memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, August 3, 2025, as family, friends and admirers gather once more to celebrate a life well lived.

May his soul rest in perfect peace.

GFA Communications