Ghana’s final onslaught on Egypt

This was the line-up that beat Egypt 6-1in Kumasi

The first leg result in Kumasi at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium was an amazing 6-1 drubbing of the seven-time African Cup of Nations Champions, Egypt. No one, absolutely no one, imagined that the Black Stars led by Coach Kwasi Appiah were going to whitewash the Pharaohs of Egypt that afternoon. The day however had its own story to tell. At the end of the game, Ghana humiliated Egypt.

The return leg is on today. Football pundits have been reminding us how the game follows no logic and how what one least expects could happen. But I say with certainty that, as the Black Stars of Ghana face the Pharaohs of Egypt later today in the 2014 FIFA World Cup match (the last of the qualifying series), no amount of football’s illogicalities can aid the Egyptians to overturn the 6-1 result recorded in Kumasi.

There will be more misery for the Egyptians today

Reading stories on the Black Stars’ preparation in Turkey and all that have taken place concerning the upcoming match, I share the statement by a serial caller that, Egypt cannot beat Ghana for the ticket to Brazil unless perhaps the world would once again witness the miraculous deed which saw God setting the Red Sea apart for the Israelites to pass through on dry land while being pursued by their enemies.

Call it Biblical stories brought into football. That is the extent fans have taken the pre-match talk. That should send a message to the Black Stars that we are expecting nothing apart from a result that would see Ghana at next year’s biggest football fiesta in Brazil. We are all waiting to be in Brazil and it will be Ghana’s third successive World Cup appearance.

It is refreshing to note that when the call was made in 2006, Germany; Ghana was there. Again in 2010, South Africa; the first World Cup to be held on African soil, Ghana was present. We lifted the African flag high by being the only African country to get to the quarter-final stage of that competition. We cannot miss the boat this time. From the score line in Kumasi, it is abundantly clear that Black Stars of Ghana have the advantage. It is also worth noting that, when the Stars eventually qualify, Coach Kwasi Appiah would have made history by being the first local coach to send Ghana to the World Cup.

Ghanaian fans like this one will be happy to see Ghana in Brazil 

Thus the former Kotoko player is on the brink of making history and for that reason, he should not fail. It is good and important that Ghanaians have confidence in Kwasi Appiah and his players. Everybody has been rallying behind them since the qualifying series kicked-off. I have even seen non-football enthusiasts, by virtue of the Black Stars 6-1 result, being compelled to say a prayer for the team.

Therefore the strong conviction is that Ghana will secure the ticket to the largest South American country, Brazil for the biggest football fiesta. The serious pre-match talk, to a reasonable extent, has been dominated by security concerns given the political situation in the North African country. Realizing the power of football; I mean how football can foster peace and unity among warring factions in even the bloodiest of civil or political unrest, I would have wished that the Pharaohs were playing another country, not Ghana.

Victory as displayed on the fan's chest will be Ghana's

In that case, I would have said a prayer for the Egyptians to grab the 2014 World Cup ticket to see how football can turn things around for them. On a more serious note, it is my fervent prayer that the political situation in Egypt changes and changes for good. When the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports started talking about the need for the security arrangements made by FIFA and Egyptian authorities to be made clearer, some people didn’t understand.

Others even thought it was unnecessary. On the evidence of the moves that have been made regarding the security and safety of our players and officials before, during and after the match, I believe it was important that Ghana asked questions and had those questions properly answered. FIFA officials meeting Ghanaian officials in Lome; a Ghanaian delegation also visiting Egypt on Thursday to acquaint themselves with security arrangements prior to the Black Stars’ arrival was indeed imperative. Now, as Ghanaians, all we are looking forward to is an exciting match. At the end of the day Ghana must grab the World Cup ticket to Brazil 2014.

Where is Kotoko’s administrative structure?

News of the appointment of Ali Maradona and Solomon Nkansah as the Public Relation Officers of Kotoko came as a surprise to a section of the club’s supporters. Their surprise, from what I gathered, stemmed from the fact that not many of them had wind of that interim appointment.

Ordinarily, supporters not having prior information about an appointment in the club shouldn’t raise eyebrows because overtime concerns have been expressed over how Kotoko ‘top secrets’ are shared in the media before they are officially made public.

But as I searched deep into the supporters’ surprise reaction, I found out that there is a silent yet strong dissatisfaction with how matters relative to Kotoko’s administrative setup have been handled lately. Ali Maradona and Solomon Nkansah as spokespersons for Kotoko? How? For some, the problem with the latest appointment has nothing to do with the personalities involved but rather what the long term, policy direction of Kotoko is regarding communications or PR.

What's our view of PR? For others, there are critical issues relating to the background of the personalities appointed, exactly what their roles are or will be and whether or not, on the whole, they will bring the expected growth Kotoko needs in that office. The point about Kotoko having a firm administrative structure has been made before and it has been argued repeatedly, that, Kotoko’s performance on the pitch cannot be delinked from how strong the club is on the administrative front. I also share that view.

I do not know of the past but in this present generation, no institution, whether in football, finance or politics can be competitive in its area of operation if it is administratively weak. Kotoko is administratively weak at the moment. The current situation is one that many supporters of the club do not like. I dare add that throughout the times that Kotoko underperformed on the pitch (at least in the last decade) the club did not have a proper, well-defined administrative structure.

Those who disagree with this view can check Kotoko’s performance – starting from 1999 to date. There is ample evidence to show that when Kotoko was administratively strong in the regimes of Herbert Mensah and Sylvester Asare Owusu, for example, the team chalked relative success on the pitch. I say without fear of contradiction that, the immediate past Executive Chairman, Dr. K. K. Sarpong and his team of managers also solidified Kotoko’s administrative structure. It was no surprise that they chalked significant successes in the three-year stay.

This is not to their defence but I sincerely think that Dr. Sarpong and his management and the Board did a good job administratively. Now certain questions have to be asked in the supreme interest of the club. Apart from Opoku Nti, the acting General Manager (who was Dr. Sarpong’s Special Assistant), virtually none of the managers under Dr. Sarpong are not in office. Why is that? What happened? Didn't we have to ensure that they stay in office to bring consistency? Ok, so now, when will there be substantive CEO? Will Opoku Nti be confirmed? Will he be sacked? Who has been handling the building projects that the last administration started? Who is the marketing manager?

Members of Kumasi Asante Kotoko's current Board

Who handles administrative issues? Who represents Kotoko in Accra? And who has been speaking for Kotoko? Projects, administrative work, marketing, representation in Accra and public relations: these are sensitive areas in Kotoko’s administration which deserve utmost attention because no matter how removed these areas are from the players’ performance on the pitch, their importance cannot and must not be underestimated.

On the matter of who speaks for Kotoko, it must be noted that, what Kotoko needs is not individuals who seize the airwaves to regularly speak on behalf of Kotoko with or without approval from the club. What Kotoko needs is a qualified communication strategist; a media or Public Relations expert who would work with well-designed communication strategies tied to the club’s marketing ideals, objectives and to ensure that there is maximum achievement.

Projecting or enhancing Kotoko’s image in the eyes of the public or the media; communicating Kotoko’s aspirations require proper expertise. It is must not be done anyhow. If Kotoko will be able to market its brand, attract substantial capital for development and also compete favourably on the continent, not on the domestic scene, managers of the club ought to urgently look the administrative structure.

The current state of affairs can be better. Kotoko have the potential to excel in terms of raising adequate revenue to fund its activities but that potential can only be realized when clear-cut administrative structures are laid with people assigned specific duties and targets and in addition, supervised to live up to expectation. I thus make a passionate appeal to the Board of Directors to critically consider this matter and do something about it.

Should Kotoko go to Africa next year?

Kotoko's Africa campaign committee met in Kumasi yesterday.

November 30, 2013 is the deadline given to the Ghana Football Association for the confirmation of participants for the 2014 intercontinental club competitions. By virtue of their achievements on the local scene last season, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Berekum Chelsea, Ebusua Dwarfs and Medeama are the candidates for the CAF organized competitions.

While Kotoko and Chelsea are for the Champions League; Dwarfs and Medeama are eligible to compete in the second most prestigious club competition in Africa, the Confederation Cup. Kotoko have not formally written to the GFA as to whether or not it will participate in next year’s Champions League but with the formation of the Africa campaign committee by the Board, there is utmost certainty that Porcupine Warriors will be in Africa.

I am aware that the yet-to-be inaugurated Africa campaign committee will be chaired by former Board member Alhaji Abu Lamini. Alhaji Lamini was a member of the committee that handled the club’s 2013 Africa campaign. Yesterday, the 2014 committee met in Kumasi to discuss plans for the club’s campaign.

Ahead of that meeting, varying views were expressed by Kotoko supporters over the club’s participation in next year’s Champions League. While a small yet vociferous section of the fans felt that Kotoko currently doesn’t have a team that would be able to conquer Africa like it did decades back, there were those in the larger majority who were convinced that regardless of the team’s present state, the pedigree of Kotoko requires that it plays in Africa.

Then were also those who came in with the money matters. They argued that playing in Africa demands huge financial resources. Therefore, at the time that the leadership of the club is confronted with dire financial difficulties, they were not sure how the managers of the club would surmount the financial challenges to stay afloat on the stormy Africa terrain. All the arguments are valid but you must first listen to the counter-arguments before passing judgment.

For a better presentation and understanding of why Kotoko must go to Africa, some points have to be considered. Team building is a process, Alhaji Lamini; the Chairman of the 2014 Africa campaign committee told me in an interview on this burning subject of Africa participation. As already stated, some supporters feel that Kotoko is not ready for Africa.

Alhaji Lamini disagreed. The current Kotoko team isn’t as strong as most supporters want it to be, he said but the club’s resolve is to strengthen beef up the squad especially in attack before the competition gets underway in February 2014. With the reinforcement and other things being equal, Kotoko must at least get to the league stage. Again, Alhaji Lamini admitted that, Kotoko needs sound financial footing to make meaningful impact in Africa.

The committee’s work in that direction was well cut out for them, the chairman stated, adding that vigorous fund raising among other measures would be implemented to provide the necessary funding for the Africa campaign. Not all of the committee’s plans were divulged because of the impending meeting in Kumasi. I was however convinced that the Africa campaign committee will not fail.

On that score, there are little or no reasons for Kumasi Asante Kotoko to stay out of Africa. The possibility of Ghana losing its two slots which were recently restored by the continent’s football governing body is real, if our clubs qualify yet pull out of the competition. Furthermore and (with no disregard for the club’s impressive achievements on the local scene), it has to be stated that Kotoko supporters are becoming wearing of glories on the domestic scene.

Thus considering the cases for and against the club’s 2014 Africa campaign, I am of the opinion, that, it is all right for Kotoko to go to Africa with their eyes on at least a place at the league stage. After all, without an appearance at the league stage, there is no chance of a semifinal or final berth. The club would have to plan well and be adequately prepared for that big stage.

The 2014 CAF Champions League will be the 50th edition of Africa’s premier club competition. It also be 18th since the competition’s format was revised. It does not befit Kotoko’s status that of the previous 17 competitions, the Porcupines have been at the league stage of the Champions League just once. This does not suit the pedigree of the African club of the century. The club must do something worth talking about with their appearance next year.

We can’t run Kotoko on donations

Kumasi Asante Kotoko have many loyal benefactors. There are some Kotoko supporters who give thousands of Ghana cedis to the club without thinking of what to eat the next day or indeed when again their bank account will be replenished with what they ‘lost’ on Kotoko.

There are as well many Kotoko fans who give hundreds of Ghana cedis to the club on regularly basis and they feel that they have lost absolutely nothing. But irrespective of how lovely these supporters are and how willing they are to give money to Kotoko, there is hardly any financial theory that can support the thought that the club can be financed with donations.

Throughout last week, the fabulous club was in the news for a greater period for all the bad reasons. The news of Kotoko owing its players three-month salary was major news items on most radio networks and also in the print media. Not surprisingly, managers of the club were slammed for that predicament. The explanation by the Acting General Manager, Opoku Nti and the Operations Manager, George Kennedy could neither eliminate nor wipe the bad publicity.

Again it was not at all surprising why most radio stations across the country ‘latched’ on the unpaid salary issue to ‘nail’ the Kotoko leadership for not paying the players. At times even when there are good developments in the club, sections of the media ignore it and concentrate on the negativity so the salary stuff offer some of them good meat to mulch. 

Quick and easy conclusions were drawn with some commentators and supporters even linking the team’s recent defeat to Heart of Lions to the non-payment of their salaries in three months.

The players came out to deny that. I sided with the players’ denial, that, it was wrong for people to link their defeat at Kpando to the salary issue because within that period, they had won six consecutive matches. Nobody talked about the fact that they were sacrificing – that, they were performing well to win games although they had not been paid for three months.

Opoku Nti - Acting General Manager of Kotoko

I think the players had a point. Initially, I decided not to comment on the salary issue and all the club’s money matters until a time I found it appropriate to do so. I was however moved to my writing desk when I heard strong sentiments being expressed over Kotoko’s weak financial position and the need for supporters to contribute and continue donating to the club’s coffers to ensure financial growth. How could that be possible? I thought something was wrong.

Thankfully, that suggestion came from a radio panelist. I agree that Kotoko needs its supporters to contribute financially. That point cannot be overstated but suggesting that the club can rely on donations from its benefactors to survive is not only showing a complete misunderstanding the financial situation at Kotoko but also totally disrespecting the status of the club.

The stature of a club like Kotoko demands that managers of the club – whether at the Board or management level develop sustainable methods of raising funds to keep it on its feet. Some fund raising methods were introduced in the past but it is sad to observe that none could be sustained because of problems associated with supporters’ organization and accountability.

 Mention can be made of the Otumfuo Special Initiative (OSI) which ran into problems after taking off because the fund managers failed to do a good job. The immediate past Executive Chairman, Dr. K. K. Sarpong also introduced several fund raising measures which from the start were patronized but not much was realized due to the disorganization in the supporters’ front.

Experience therefore vindicates the assertion that until Kotoko properly organizes its supporters, very little or nothing could be achieved from them. I reiterate that the club cannot rely on its affluent supporter for money. That may help save certain situations but cannot be the best way to fund the club. What Kotoko needs is a sustainable business plan; implementation of that business plan and what is more, selling it to outsiders and getting them to know and understand the need to associate with Kotoko for mutual benefit.  

Kotoko were champions in the 2012/2013 Premier League season

It is true that Kotoko’s owner – the revered Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is financially endowed. He sits on the Golden Stool. Recently, when Kotoko found itself neck-deep in financial difficulties, the Great King offered a lifeline. He doled out GHȼ450,000 to carter for recruitment. The point however remains that Otumfuo cannot be doing that all the time.

Nana cannot because that will amount to spoon-feeding the club – when in fact; he has appointed people to manage it for him. Those people, respectfully, must come out with strategies to fund the club – be it through sponsorship, mechanizing or developing other efficient marketing ideas to bring money. Let the debate on Kotoko continue.