The club will also name the new stadium they are building for their B team after the former Dutch international.

Barcelona made the announcement a day after the first year anniversary of Cruyff’s death at the age of 68.

Cruyff won 13 trophies during his time managing and playing for the club, including their first European Cup in 1992.

His son Jordi also said the family will donate a number nine Barcelona shirt worn by his father and the Ballon d’Or trophy from 1974 to a new Johan Cruyff exhibition at the Spanish club’s museum.

“It is an agreement by which my father will always be present at the club that he loved,” Jordi Cruyff said.

Barcelona, who are scheduled to start major redevelopment work at the Nou Camp in 2018, will also ask the city’s council to name a street or space in the vicinity of their stadium after Johan Cruyff.

“It is an honour for me to say the name of the stadium we are building at the training ground will no longer be the Miniestadi, but from now on will be the Johan Cruyff stadium,” club president Josep Maria Bartomeu said.

“Cruyff broke down barriers, he was the man who made us lift our heads up and see that nothing is impossible.”

Johan Cruyff honours

Ajax (as a player): European Cup x 3, European Super Cup x 2, Dutch league title x 8, Dutch Cup x 5, Intercontinental Cup x 1, Super Cup x 1.

Ajax (as a manager): European Cup Winners’ Cup x 1, Dutch Cup x 2.

Barcelona (as a player): Spanish league title x 1, Spanish Cup x 1.

Barcelona (as a manager): European Cup x 1, European Cup Winners’ Cup x 1, European Super Cup x 1, Spanish league title x 4, Spanish Cup x 1, Spanish Super Cup x 3.

Feyenoord (as a player): Dutch league title x 1, Dutch Cup x 1.

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Source: BBC

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The erection of the statue some eight months ago generated waves of criticism as proponents of the #GandhiMustFall movement argued that he was unfit for the honour due to his radical stance against blacks during his lifetime.

[contextly_sidebar id=”XqUVoVcuXkQGCY0QfAHpljXHdY3sdYg9″]This was after the Prime Minister of India Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to the University.

But soon, a counter movement  #GandhiMustStand arose. They accused proponents of #GandhiMustFall of been intellectually dishonest by cheery picking Gandhi’s public life to dishonor him.

The debate raged on. Social media was agog with passionate debates for or against the existence of Gandhi’s statue. Soon, the tidal waves of criticisms reached the international stage piquing the interest of the international media from Europe across to Asia.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all these currents, some unknown individuals defaced the statue, plucking off its iconic spectacle.

Fearing that some anti-Gandhi fanatics might destroy the statue overnight, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration under the leadership of Ms. Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, issued a communiqué which will eventually quell the feuding sides.

While respecting the views of proponents, the statement decried the attacks on the statue arguing that the act had likely diplomatic implications between Ghana and India. Assurances were given to relocate the statue to save the nation any further embarrassment.

That statement could be said to be a diplomatic Trojan horse that silenced the fierce weapons of Prof. Akosua Adomako Ampofo, former director of the Institute of African studies and her army of scholars. She and her team managed to generate more than 2,000 signatures from the World Wide Web demanding the immediate demolishing of the statue.

But eight months on, the government of the then Foreign Minister has lost power. And Gandhi’s statue’s stands 2 feet, basking in its glory and unfazed by the waves torrential criticism waged against it.

Interestingly, the University has since stationed a security man by the statue fearing another attack.

Students and the public are barred from taking selfies by the statue. The daily presence of a security guard is albeit against a woefully inadequate security force as halls of residence and lecture theaters on a normal day do not have desired security presence.

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By: Caleb Kudah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This comes few weeks after some senior members of the University petitioned the institution’s council to pull down the statue.

The action is believed to have taken place under the cover of darkness on Monday.

No individual or group has come out to claim responsibility for the action yet; but it is believed it may have been carried out by some unknown supporters of the #GhandiMustFall movement.

Photos available to Citifmonline.com shows the statue has its eyeglasses removed.

 ‘Pull down ‘racist’ Gandhi’s statue from Legon’

A former Director of the Institute of African Studies, Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, in September started a campaign demanding the removal of the statue of Indian independence icon, Mahatma Gandhi, from the University of Ghana campus.

Prof Adomako Ampofo together with another academic at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana, Dr. Obadéle Kambon, urged members of the University of Ghana Council to heed to the petition arguing among other things that, Gandhi was racist against black people and honoring him sets the wrong example for students.

‘Pulling down Gandhi’s statue unnecessary’

But, Ghana’s former High Commissioner to India, Professor Mike Ocquaye, has described as unnecessary demands for the demolition of the statue.

According to the professor of political science and lawyer, a decision to demolish the statue might have implications on diplomatic ties between Ghana and India.

So far, the university authorities have not commented on the matter, and have also not responded to the petitioners.

But it appears some unknown persons in support of the call, may want to take the law into their hands, by gradually destroying the statue.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Some senior members of the university, led by a former Director of the Institute of African Studies, Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, have started a campaign to get the school to pull down the statue, which was unveiled during a visit by the Indian President Pranab Mukheriee.

Prof Adomako Ampofo is urging members of the University of Ghana Council to heed her petition arguing among other things that, Gandhi was racist against black people and honoring him set a wrong example for students.

But Professor Ocqauye, a professor of political science and a lawyer, believes a decision to demolish the statue might have implications on diplomatic ties between Ghana and India.

“It will be most unnecessary, most uncalled for and not in the supreme interest of Ghanaians and we must know what serves our interest best. Some people in India wanted diplomatic relations to be broken in Ghana over the way we sometime back spited them, but caution prevailed and they kept their cool to show that they understand diplomacy and the ups and downs of international relations and today the relationship is a bit better and we look forward to it being better still.”

Prof. Ocquaye further called on the petitioners to be tolerant of divergent views saying, that is the hallmark of academia.

Background 

On 14th June 2016, a statue of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was erected at the Sam Aboah quadrangle of the University of Ghana.

This is the only statue of a historical personality on Legon campus, and soon after it came to the notice of members of the University community and the general public, calls for its removal commenced within the University community and beyond.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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