Jagodina game: Much ado about nothing

Serbian side, FK Jagodina 

So Kotoko’s 80th anniversary match finally came to pass after three postponements. The Porcupines thrashed eventual opponent, FK Jagodina from Serbia 5-0 at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Sunday, January 3, 2016. The game was initially expected to be played on September 4, 2015 – against Petrolul of Romania. It didn’t happen.

It was moved to October 11, 2015. The opponent was Greek side, Veria FC. The Greeks were maintained but the game was moved from October 11 to November 15, 2015. That also didn’t happen. At the last minute, when many expected the November 15 kickoff, the organisers – Pacific Football Ghana Limited announced another rescheduling.

The public and media bashing were intense for days. Public confidence in the organisers and their ability to get the game played naturally waned after every postponement. That however didn’t see Pacific Football Ghana Limited canceling the match. Kotoko to a larger extent, watched things from afar with the leadership maintaining the club’s interest in the game.

A cancellation wasn’t an option for the organisers and this is where their loud critics have to be reasonable. They had secured some bit of sponsorship for the match; they made some financial commitment to Kotoko and also incurred other unpleasant bills in their ups and downs.

Looking at things from the perspective of this unfriendly economic environment, it would have made no sense for Pacific Football Ghana Limited to stop the game. They needed to go ahead with their plans irrespective of the staggering losses they faced. After all, they weren't in it for money, they said. 

Unlike a previous case, they “safely” had January 3, 2016 date approved by the Ghana Football Association (GFA). They also had Jagodina agreeing to come down. An official release on Jagodina’s website confirmed their visit to Ghana apart from their advertisement of the game.

How people (and I mean people who should know better) want us to believe that, Jagodina deliberately traveled to Kumasi with that small squad and also without their luggage, confirms how some of us can be so ridiculous in our analysis of issues on media platforms in our small country.

For me, the outcry over the Jagodina match isn’t surprising. It’s typical of the usually irritating Ghanaian attitude of having both the lettered and the unlettered seizing media platforms at times to blow hot air on issues and developments they have hardly assessed, examined and roundly understood before commenting.

I won’t justify ill-planning or failure of any sort but where did Kotoko err? With the reasons earlier advanced for the organisers, what really is the justification for their crucifixion? The last minute flight arrangements? The harsh weather conditions that delayed flights from Istanbul? The downsizing of Jagodina’s team? Their luggage that didn’t arrive at the expected time? Where did the organizers get everything wrong so much that people don’t want to reason with them?  

Let’s be serious in this society. We must stop slamming people by heart. It’s a very bad attitude. I know people have issues with the setup at Kotoko but that isn’t the point. The point is about a match organizer experiencing genuine difficulties. Being a first-timer and going through this stress, the best thing to offer Pacific Football Ghana Limited isn’t scathing criticism but encouragement so they can learn from whatever transpired.

Lashing them with a caustic, unforgivable tongue offers no solution. Indeed, it does little or no good at all unless your primary motive is to rundown people and their establishment. Of what use is that?

Leadership will determine Kotoko’s fate in 2016

If there's one issue, which is quietly at the back of the minds of Kotoko supporters as 2016 approaches, it's certainly about who the Owner and Life Patron of the club, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, will name as Kotoko's leader.

The club's leadership issue was one of the hottest matters discussed in the media especially when the former Bayern Munich and Black Stars defender, Samuel Osei Kuffour reportedly met the Asantehene and to the surprise of many, declared himself Kotoko President.

The disappointment which greeted that infamous television declaration was strong. For many pundits it was that which ruined any chance Kuffour had with leading Kotoko (that’s if such a chance existed in the first place).

Speculation, some very spurious ones, turned out to be the order of the day afterwards. Every football news story on radio had a line or two about who was likely to be the club’s leader in the 2015/16 season. The guesswork in the media was too much that some of us were even accused of doing the bidding of the so-called front runners amidst ridiculous lies and insults.

So the fire over who becomes Kotoko leader raged on for weeks and for a club with such a revered owner like the Asantehene, that raging fire was quenched the moment he spoke. A statement from the Manhyia Palace after a visit by the Board of Directors and management members doused all the flames around the leadership issue.

The statement in essence ended every discussion on the matter until the Asantehene makes pronouncements on the new direction. It has to be reiterated that, ONLY him has the final say on the matter which no doubt is dear to the heart of most Kotoko supporters.

As a journalist with the club, the Kotoko leadership issue is one of the subjects to look at as 2015 comes to an end with the New Year beckoning. I mentioned leadership not because I desire a change of the people currently managing the club but because it's one sure way of determining how things will turn out.

First, there's unanimity that, Kotoko deserves better than we all gave it in 2015. That unanimity also calls for more, decisive thinking and a new attitude at the club if we are to fare well on all levels next year. We can debate that and disagree but the reality remains that, if we are to fare any better than we did in 2015 – things must be done differently.

The club needs a new breath; new energy, new thinking and attitude in the upcoming season. That new thinking and attitude could mark the turning point in the club’s fortunes. That new thinking and attitude will give the management of the club more space and freedom to think creatively and with fresh, innovative ideas, lift Kotoko to a higher pedestal.

That new thinking and attitude must lead the technical team to work harder and make Kotoko the team to beat. That new thinking and attitude must also inspire the players to give their best and be professional as they seek personal and club ambitions.

That new thinking and attitude must impact on the club's relationship with its sponsors.

Again, that new thinking and attitude should give supporters more hope and confidence that, the team would perform better than it did in 2015. That new thinking and attitude ought to be seen everywhere Kotoko go.

That new thinking and attitude must additionally be felt at Kotoko Express, not leaving out Asantekotokosc.com – the club’s website. That new thinking and attitude will come not necessarily with new people in-charge of affairs but essentially with the renewal of our mindset, methods and practices adopted in running the club in whatever capacity we find ourselves. 

With the right ideas on offer; good implementation, truth, honesty and commitment to duty, Kotoko must get things right in 2016 and beyond. With how sophisticated football fans have become in Ghana, the legitimacy of football administrators is no longer assessed merely by the fact of their appointment or election but by their achievements and the kind of work they do at the clubs they manage.