Kotoko’s new direction: Will it be different from the perennial self-inflicted woes?
Asante Kotoko’s biggest problem in recent history has been internal wrangling, backbiting and factionalism.
Management of the club has over the years suffered needless distractions from either disgruntled management members, board, fans and sometimes the playing body, thereby hampering the progress of the two times African champions.
From the days of Herbert Mensah in the year 2000 to Nana Yaw Amponsah in 2023, virtually all personalities appointed to handle the club left under acrimonious circumstances.
As they take the back seat, those loyal to them constitute themselves into saboteur groups with the sole aim of ensuring that successors of their ‘masters’ do not succeed.
This ‘pull him down’ attitude has left the once famous club on the continent many miles behind their peers such as Al Ahly, Zamalek, TP Mazembe, Raja Cassablanca, Etoile du Sahel, among others.
Lack of unity within the board, management, and the fans remains a major problem derailing all efforts to redeem the club’s lost glory with the just ended administration having its fair share of the perennial distraction.
After a torrid season which also marked the end of the three-year mandate given the management to steer the affairs of the club, many expected Manhyia to provide a new direction for the club hence its dissolution did not come as a surprise.
Despite winning the league in their second year in office after an eight-year drought, the expectation was that all stakeholders including the board and management would build on that feat and make Kotokogreat again, but that was not meant to be.
A perfect opportunity to close ranks for the collective good of stakeholders was thrown away as a deep crack between the board and management became so visible right after the club was declared champions for the 2021/2022 season.
Instead of consolidating that achievement, the first thing Kotoko did was to part ways with their coach – a move that brought to fore the sharp division between the board and management.
It was common knowledge that the decision received the backing of some board members while others disagreed, thereby setting the tone for an acrimonious relationship between the two critical departments of the club.
Throughout the 2022/2023 season, the board and management were seen to be flexing their muscles in terms of decision-making while the team suffered the repercussions on the pitch.
A team that was playing as defending champions could hardly win two matches consecutively, leaving the fans in constant pain and frustration.
The situation adversely affected stadium attendance which became so dire to the extent that some home matches were played in virtually empty stadium.
On their way to winning the 2021/2022 season, the team did not only make the Baba Yara Stadium a fortress but also recorded famous wins on the road.
The story was however completely different in the last season during which the club lost a couple of matches in front of home fans.
Admittedly, boardroom wrangling and friction between the board and management is not new in Asante Kotoko, but the situation in the last three years leaves much to be desired.
The appointment of the Nana Yaw Amponsah led management was met with fierce resistance from a section of the fans who tagged him as a fan of their bitterest rivals, Accra Hearts of Oak.
However, he gradually warmed himself into the hearts of the fans after putting together a solid team and winning the league in his second year to quench the thirst of the fans for the league trophy which had eluded the club since 2014.
The departure of coach Prosper Ogum meant the club had to rebuild from scratch, making nonsense of the philosophy and winning mentality he injected in the squad.
Even more disturbing was the appointment of Seidu Zerbo, a foreign coach who knew virtually nothing about the local league to make any significant impact.
Sacking him in the middle of the season summed up the disservice done the team by whoever took the decision to sack a coach who had won the title in his first season, a feat that only few coaches had achieved at the club.
The consequences of that decision appears to have taken Asante Kotoko back to default setting as the perennial factionalism which has hindered the progress of the club over the years continues to fester.
So the big question was what is next for the Porcupine family after Manhyia’s decision to dissolve both the management and board following the expiration of their three-year mandate.
A cross-section of the fans believed it was time the club was managed from Manhyia with a huge infrastructural investment to raise standards as a professional club which dominated Africa some years back.
It is their contention that no businessman would injected his personal funds in a club he can be ordered to leave at any point as has been the case for many years.
Discussions in the media space since the end of the just ended season seems to suggest that most fans want the Life Patron to be actively involved in the administration of the club.
They want him to take deliberate steps to invest in training facilities, playing body as well as juvenile teams to feed the main team with well-groomed players nurtured to suit the playing style of Asante Kotoko.
These, according to them, must be done under the strict supervision of Manhyia which they believe can attract the needed sponsorship.
The King has, however, put together a four-member Interim Management Committee (IMC) which includes Dr. Prosper Ogum who is returning as the head coach.
They have been charged to recruit players for the new season and entirely manage the affairs of the club until a substantive decision is taken on the new direction of the club.
It remains to be seen if the current arrangement and subsequent ones will permanently cure the self-inflicted woes of the club.
By Yussif Ibrahim
Source: GNA