Ali Jara describes Baba Yara Stadium as ‘Red bed sheets and Towels’ in first Hearts/Kotoko clash

Former Ghana and Hearts of Oak goalkeeper Ali Jarrah has described his first experience being part Ghana’s biggest rivalry games between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak.

Jarrah was one of Ghana’s promising goalkeepers in the early 90s but his career was blighted with an injury.

In an interview on the Tracker Show on Citi TV, he narrated his first experience of the super clash between Kotoko and Hearts in 1992.

“I think the first time I was on the bench and Salifu Ansah was the first choice goalkeeper, and that was in the 1991/1992 season and as at that time we had gone to Angola and we were accused of stealing bed sheets and towels”

“So after that, we came to Accra and right after that we played against Asante Kotoko. So imagine the whole atmosphere.

“And in fact, that was the first time I was seeing a large crowd.

“In the course of the game, I was asking myself if I were in the shoes of Salifu Ansah, will I be able to perform at a top-level because I had never seen such a crowd before in my entire life”, the former Hearts shot-stopper narrated.

Then 17 years old, he maintained that the earlier incident prior to the game also contributed to the hostile atmosphere at the stadium.

“And we all know how Hearts vs Kotoko games are, especially in Kumasi and with the whole Angola saga so you can imagine. The whole stadium was painted in red bedsheets and towels. So you can just imagine”.

Ali Jarrah was part of Ghana’s U17 team that won the 1991 FIFA World cup in Italy.