Will Opoku Nti quit Kotoko on June 30?

Kotoko General Manager, Opoku Nti. 

When I first heard news of General Manager, Opoku Nti, being handed a letter by the Board of Directors to vacate his post by June 30, 2016; my first reaction was to treat the story as a rumour. That was so because, as it has often been the case for Kotoko media personnel, such stories always have to be confirmed by an officer of the club before taken to town.

This story was already in town, eliciting various commentaries with some news outlets treating it as headlines on their midday bulletins. That shouldn’t be surprising. It’s Kotoko we are talking about, unquestionably Ghana’s biggest football club by any reasonable analysis.

What I found surprising though when I later got confirmation of the story was why and how the General Manager would be asked to vacate his post midway into the season. The second round of the Premier League had barely started and in purely football sense, instructing your General Manager to prepare his handing over notes and leave office in seven days was ill-timed.

The explanation from reliable quarters within the club was that, the letter sent to Opoku Nti was just an administrative reminder that, his mandate was for a certain period and that, if that period was coming to an end, there was the need to notify him.

As someone who believes in procedure, proper managerial or administrative practices in or outside football, that explanation made sense to me. I was actually not also worried too much about who ‘leaked’ what should have simply been an internally circulated letter.

All over the world, confidential documents from whatever sources get leaked in the media. They are at times “intercepted” – Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, Editor-in-Chief of the New Crudsading Guide, would say. Right or wrong, it has to be said however, that, Kotoko as a football institution has suffered too much from that negative, vile, and often mean practice.

As much as I won’t hastily condemn “leakages” in general terms, I find it disappointing that, Opoku Nti’s letter got leaked to the media from within even before he received his copy. It’s shameful! I don’t know who did that but whoever orchestrated that must be ashamed!

Now, to the big question: Will Opoku Nti step down as General Manager on June 30 as directed by the Board of Directors? My analysis of events doesn’t give me that picture. That’s not to say, as a gentleman as Opoku Nti has always been, he will disrespect the Board. In the worst case scenario, Opoku Nti could reply the Board’s letter; what his reply will entail is anybody’s guess.

Overtime, I’ve patiently learnt how not to take on the institution I work for at least publicly. This article should thus not be equated to a critique of the Board’s decision. Having made that point, it has to be said without any equivocation that, the Board’s letter could create a needless vacuum. Who takes over the management of the club after June 30 should Opoku Nti leave?

What succession plan has been laid by the Board in the first place? Who will lead the team for instance to Accra on July 1 for the President Cup match? What happens in terms of leadership; the day-to-day management of affairs because the club still doesn’t have an administrator?

What about decision taking, control, organization, supervision and the actual running of the club now the league is in session? Has the Board any replacement plan, assuming Opoku Nti and his management quit; and don’t take the option of hanging on till the end of the season?

Granted they take the option and stay till September, what would have been the essence of the letter given to them? For me, these are valid questions Kotoko supporters and the media must to ask. Any decision taken by the Board or management without a careful evaluation of the team’s stability in this season's league and the need to sustain it could be detrimental and supporters of the club won’t forgive anyone for that.