Eric Akoto
Encyclopedia
Eric Akoto is a naturalized Togo
lese football defender
. He is currently a free agent after his previous club, North Queensland Fury
ceased to participate in the A-League
, through financial difficulties.
, at Liberty Professionals FC
in 1998 before moving to Austria
later that year to play for Grazer AK
. In 2002 he moved to Austria Vienna
, before moving to Germany
in 2004 to play for FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt
. On 1 June 2005 he moved back to Austria
to play for VfB Admira Wacker Mödling
. In 2006 he once again moved to Grazer AK
. In July 2007 he moved to Slovenia signing for Interblock Ljubljana.
In the January 2008 transfer window
, Akoto went on trial with Football League Championship
club Blackpool
in England
.
He moved in July 2008 from Slovenia
n PrvaLiga Telekom Slovenije
club, Interblock Ljubljana to the Austrian Bundesliga
club Kapfenberger SV
. In 2009 he moved to Maccabi Ahi Nazareth
and later to OFI Crete
.
n A-league
club North Queensland Fury FC
where he plays as a central defender. In the Fury's Round 3 match vs. Melbourne Victory, Akoto was red carded after an incident involving Kevin Muscat
, where the Victory defender would not let Akoto pick up his mouthguard and resulted in Akoto pushing Muscat to the ground. Despite the incident being regarded as controversial by many media commentators, North Queensland opted against contesting the mandatory 1-week suspension.
ian capital of Accra
he plays for neighbouring Togo
. He is the second person from Ghana who plays for Togo, the other is Richmond Forson
.
He was part of the Togo squad in the 2006 World Cup
finals where Togo were knocked out of the competition in the group stages. Akoto was on the bus
carrying the Togo team, which was attacked by gunfire on January 8, 2010.
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
lese football defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
. He is currently a free agent after his previous club, North Queensland Fury
North Queensland Fury FC
North Queensland Fury FC were a professional football club based in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, which competed in the A-League. North Queensland played its home fixtures at Dairy Farmers Stadium. The club was closed on 1 March 2011, due to financial instability.-History:A Townsville bid was...
ceased to participate in the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
, through financial difficulties.
Club career
Akoto started his career in GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, at Liberty Professionals FC
Liberty Professionals FC
Liberty Professionals Football Club is a Ghanaian football club based in Dansoman, Accra.-History:Liberty Professionals, founded in 1996, have tried to use a scientific approach to the management of a football throughout their history...
in 1998 before moving to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
later that year to play for Grazer AK
Grazer AK
Grazer AK, founded 18 August 1902 as Grazer Athletik-Sport Klub , is an Austrian sports club, from the city of Graz in the federal state of Styria . The football section is one of the most traditional Austrian clubs, most successful in the decade 1995 – 2005...
. In 2002 he moved to Austria Vienna
FK Austria Wien
Fußballklub Austria Wien is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. They are considered the most successful club in Austria, having won the highest Austrian Bundesliga 23 times, the Austrian Cup 27 times and the Austrian Supercup 6 times. They also reached the UEFA...
, before moving to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 2004 to play for FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt
FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt is a German association football club based in Erfurt, Thuringia.-Foundation to World War II:The club has roots that go back to a cricket club founded in 1895. As they broadened their interests they came to be called Sport Club Erfurt...
. On 1 June 2005 he moved back to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
to play for VfB Admira Wacker Mödling
VfB Admira Wacker Mödling
FC Admira Wacker Mödling is an Austrian football club from Mödling. The club was originally formed in 1905 as SK Admira Vienna in the Austrian capital...
. In 2006 he once again moved to Grazer AK
Grazer AK
Grazer AK, founded 18 August 1902 as Grazer Athletik-Sport Klub , is an Austrian sports club, from the city of Graz in the federal state of Styria . The football section is one of the most traditional Austrian clubs, most successful in the decade 1995 – 2005...
. In July 2007 he moved to Slovenia signing for Interblock Ljubljana.
In the January 2008 transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
, Akoto went on trial with Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
He moved in July 2008 from Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n PrvaLiga Telekom Slovenije
PrvaLiga Telekom Slovenije
Slovenian First Football League also known by the abbreviation 1. SNL, is the main football league in Slovenia, and was formed in 1991 after Slovenia became an independent country. From 1920 until the end of the 1990–91 season, the Slovenian Republic League was a lower division of the Yugoslavian...
club, Interblock Ljubljana to the Austrian Bundesliga
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga is the highest-ranking national league club competition in Austrian football. It is the competition which decides the Austrian national football champions, as well the country's entrants for the various European cups run by UEFA.The Austrian Bundesliga, which began...
club Kapfenberger SV
Kapfenberger SV
Kapfenberger SV is an Austrian association football club from Kapfenberg. In the 2007/08 Austrian Football First League season they became champion and advanced to Austrian Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1919 as Kapfenberger SC...
. In 2009 he moved to Maccabi Ahi Nazareth
Maccabi Ahi Nazareth
Maccabi Ahi Nazareth Football Club is an Israeli football club based in Nazareth. The club is currently in the Liga Leumit and plays at the Ilut Stadium in Ilut on the outskirts of the city.-History:...
and later to OFI Crete
OFI Crete
OFI , the Sportfriends Association Heraklion, is a Greek association football club based in Heraklion, on the island of Crete. Outside Greece, the club is generally known as OFI Crete F.C., however, the name Crete is not actually part of the club's official title.OFI is the club with most...
.
North Queensland Fury
In July, 2010, He signed with AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n A-league
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
club North Queensland Fury FC
North Queensland Fury FC
North Queensland Fury FC were a professional football club based in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, which competed in the A-League. North Queensland played its home fixtures at Dairy Farmers Stadium. The club was closed on 1 March 2011, due to financial instability.-History:A Townsville bid was...
where he plays as a central defender. In the Fury's Round 3 match vs. Melbourne Victory, Akoto was red carded after an incident involving Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat is an Australian football player who currently plays for Victorian State League Division 1 side Sunshine George Cross and is assistant coach of Melbourne Victory...
, where the Victory defender would not let Akoto pick up his mouthguard and resulted in Akoto pushing Muscat to the ground. Despite the incident being regarded as controversial by many media commentators, North Queensland opted against contesting the mandatory 1-week suspension.
International career
Despite being born in the GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian capital of Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
he plays for neighbouring Togo
Togo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...
. He is the second person from Ghana who plays for Togo, the other is Richmond Forson
Richmond Forson
Richmond Forson is a naturalized Togolese football midfielder, who plays for Chauvigny in the Championnat de France amateur 2.-Career:...
.
He was part of the Togo squad in the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
finals where Togo were knocked out of the competition in the group stages. Akoto was on the bus
Togo national football team attack
The Togo national football team bus attack was a terrorist attack on the team bus of the Togo national football team that occurred on 8 January 2010 as the team traveled through the Angolan province of Cabinda on the way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, which began on 10 January...
carrying the Togo team, which was attacked by gunfire on January 8, 2010.
External links
- North Queensland Fury profile
- Eric Akoto at Transfermarkt.