Nana’s visit and matters arising

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei II with Kotoko players.

In the last days of former Kotoko Executive Chairman, Dr. K. K. Sarpong I was accused of blindly defending his administration with an article which laid bare the man’s positive work. The accusation was that, at the time the tide was well against Dr. Sarpong’s administration, I sang their praises. That was tragic because I was misunderstood, labelled and even insulted.

I suffered the same fate last week. I will share the story but I have to state that, after Dr. Sarpong was hounded thus leading to his resignation, Kotoko’s owner and life patron, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, appointed a three-man team, comprising Opoku Nti, Charles Poku and former coach, Mas-ud Didi Dramani to hold the fort.

A substantive Board; chaired by lawyer and former National Media Commission (NMC) Chairman, Paul Adu-Gyamfi was inaugurated. It’s been almost 20 months since that inauguration. The stewardship of the Board from August 28, 2013 isn’t the subject I’m talking about but I have to stress that, many Kotoko supporters feel strongly about whether or not the Board has lived up to expectation.

Some of the same supporters also have very strong opinions the General Manager, Opoku Nti. Some of those strong views were what was expressed last Thursday – a day after the Asantehene’s august visit to the players at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. A story on the club’s website, www.asantekotokosc.com that, Nana applauded Opoku Nti for his management of affairs relative to the players – unsettled some people for reasons very difficult to understand.

In fact, our website story became an issue for discussion between me and some fans on Facebook. This was well after I took on a colleague on radio for labeling my story as a propaganda piece. Some even had the effrontery to say that, Nana didn’t praise Opoku Nti after his interaction with the players. Why anybody think I will put words in the mouth of the Great King – all in a bid to please the General Manager simply confounds me.

So I have lost so much respect, civility and professionalism that, I will have the audacity to quote no one else than the Asantehene without regard to the truth? Why have we cheapened the Kotoko discourse so badly? Perhaps I don’t have to be baffled, knowing very well, the desperate attempts by some to make the Kotoko management look very ugly at this time.

That desperation is needless. It clearly shows how some want to see Opoku Nti out of office. I repeat that, such a quest will end nowhere, not because I have the power to foretell future events but because overtime, Kotoko haven’t benefited from such an attitude. Kotoko have bled and continuous to bleed from the pettiness of people who seize media platforms to foist their lies and deceit on unsuspecting supporters who then malign management for nothing.

I have made my position clear on our Board of Directors. They have to buck up. That position is no different from what many Kotoko fans have stated. I appreciate that, the current management has challenges – some of which they have no control over for now and for which reason, it is unjustifiable to slam them to the extent that, even when genuine praise comes from the owner of the club, the publication of that sets us on collision course with some fans?

We must change the way we think as Kotoko supporters. This is a club with huge potential yet we are not close to achieving that huge potential. We rather spend our energies seeking the downfall of an administration and then what happens? We will regret that, we did that? Who suffers in the end? Kotoko or the administration we hated and unnecessarily forced out? I predict with certainty that, any quest to see the current management’s failure will in itself fail.

To seek Opoku Nti’s failure is to ultimately seek Kotoko’s failure. To wish that, Opoku Nti fails is to also ask that, Kotoko fail. The two can’t be divorced. We must come to that realization. Regardless of our preferences, we must understand that, they are in-charge and therefore needs our support. The best any true Kotoko fan can do is to seek Kotoko’s best interest. If we genuinely love Kotoko, we must put our shoulders to the wheel and support those in-charge.