Whither Kumasi Asante Kotoko?

The Paul Adu-Gyamfi-led Board has come under critical scrutiny this week with many Kotoko supporters questioning which direction they are taking the club after media reports that, three Kotoko benefactors have brought in a coach from Europe to handle the Porcupines without the approval of management.

Later on, General Manager, Opoku Nti was reported to have been sacked but that story was untrue. Opoku Nti is still at post. While there is no ambiguity concerning Opoku Nti’s status as General Manager, numerous Kotoko supporters do not seem satisfied with the way things turned out for the this season. They are wondering exactly what the future holds for their club under the current administration.

Some have criticized the leadership of Kotoko for what they see as the lack of a proper development plan which they contend, made things difficult for the team this season. Not only were Kotoko unable to defend the Premier League title, the team also lost the FA Cup trophy they won last season besides dropping to the lower ranks of the league after a six-point deduction in a protest lodged by Hearts over the eligibility of Obed Owusu in a league match.

That case is before the Appeals Committee of Ghana Football Association (GFA). Management is hopeful that, the points that were docked would be restored but the concern of most Kotoko supporters now is well beyond the deducted points. Many of them have not been enthused with current trends in the club and there are fears that, not much could be achieved next season if something urgent is not done about the state of affairs of the club.  

While some of the supporters look up to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to dissolve the Board, others want the Board to provide clarity on the state of affairs at the moment. Some of the supporters cite the absence of a well-defined vision for the club, administrative structures and competent personnel to man other offices apart from the General Manager, Operations Manager and Communications Manager’s office.

Two of the other most important offices majority of the supporters want to see being created and filled with people with the wherewithal to deliver are that of the Administrative Manager and Marketing Manager. There are also those who have not been happy with the state of the club’s youth team. They would therefore want to see a purposeful restructuring of the youth team in line with modern trends in youth football programmes. For the long term, many are of the view that, Kotoko must take a closer look at its infrastructural development.

The talk about infrastructural development could be an issue for discussion some other time but there are really pressing if not immediate issues supporters of the club want to know. What plans does the Board and management have to raise the funds for player recruitment for the 2015/16 season?

Already, seven players have been transfer-listed with two others loaned to clubs in the Lebanon. 

What will be the club’s objectives for the new season? How will supporters’ expectations be managed going into the new season? These and many more have rightly so engaged the minds of Kotoko supporters and the leadership has a duty to respond appropriately.