Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Chief Patron and owner of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, has appointed a six-member Interim Management Committee to steer the affairs of the club for the rest of the Glo Premier season, following the dismissal last Saturday of the Sylvester Asare-Owusu-led management team.
The new management includes former Kotoko and ex-national stars Rev. Osei Kofi, Opoku Afriyie and Sarfo Gyamfi, Mr Benjamin Nti, Ms Helena Cobbina and Alhaji Nje.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II dismissed the management team following their own admissions at the Manhyia Palace last Saturday that they had failed miserably to work as a united group and therefore unable to team up to reverse the dwindling fortunes of Kotoko.
Other members of the dismissed team were Financial Director, George Amoako, Operations Director, Jerry Asare, Communications Director, Kwame Baah-Nuako and Legal Affairs Director, Kwame Boafo.
Before Otumfuo Osei Tutu II dropped the bombshell, he gave the old management members the opportunity to explain the club’s dwindling fortunes, and for almost two hours of blame game at the palace, the management officials pointed accusing fingers at each other for not working together as a team to initiate policies and programmes for the club’s progress.
During the meeting, it came to light that they had held less than seven management meetings since their appointment more than two yars ago, and some of the meetings never took place at the scheduled time while others had no scheduled agenda.
The division among the old management infiltrated the ranks of the playing body and with some players pledging their allegiance to individual management members.
After listening to submissions made by the old management and players, the Asantehene expressed concern about what he believed was selfish interests of individuals which worked against the development of the club despite being endowed with quality players, technical expertise and massive following.
He ordered the dismissed management to collaborate with the club’s auditor and render accounts of their stewardship.
Sarfo Gyamfi has been tasked with the responsibility of representing the interest of the old Kotoko players, Reverend Osei Kofi was assigned special responsibilities to use his rich experience in soccer to bear on the development of Kotoko to arrest their dwindling fortunes on the premier league.
Mr Nti represents the club’s supporters group Circles on the new management, Helena Cobbina represents Kotoko Ladies while Alhaji Nje representes Kotoko supporters at the Zongo Communities in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II charged the new management to initiate measures that would reverse the dwindling fortunes of the club to ensure that it placed a respectable position on the Glo Premier League.
He also charged them to source for money to pay any outstanding salaries of the players and also address their welfare and accommodation problems as a way of motivating them.
He said the poor performance of the club of late had not only affected business transactions in the Kumasi Metropolis, but had also affected revenue generation of the club “because fans are no more interested to waste their scarce resources to fill the stadium only to witness visiting teams conquering Kotoko at their own backyard.”
“I know that Kotoko cannot win the league due to its present position on the league table, but I am certain that if you collaborate effectively with the technical team and the players, the team can win most of their matches to place a respectable position to make their supporters happy.
“I always had sleepless nights whenever Kotoko is defeated, and anytime I pass through the principal streets of Kumasi after such defeats, the fans also express similar sentiments, so it was time we reversed the dwindling fortunes of Kotoko to make it more formidable” the Asantehene stressed.
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