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Management has reached an amicable settlement with former long-term employee, Omono Asamoah.

Management on Wednesday agreed to pay an undisclosed sum of money to the former employee of over 30 years.

That brings closure to the two-year tussle between the club and Omono Asamoah, who took the Porcupines to the Labour Commission in 2018 for failing to pay his gratuity. 

The development forms part of the zeal of the Nana Yaw Amponsah-led Management to create goodwill between the club and all deserving long-serving employees, both past and present.

©KotokoExpressApp

Asante Kotoko are close to securing a partnership deal with English Premier League side Southampton FC, footy.ghpush.com/ understands.

According to our sources, talks are far in advance as both parties have been discussing for a possible agreement in the past two months.

New Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nana Yaw Amponsah – who led the talks even before his appointment on August 7 – hinted about the deal which now looks set to be formalized during the unveiling of the new management team on Tuesday, September 22, 2020.

He announced to the media: “I can tell you here and now that we are 90% through signing a partnership deal with an English Premier League club.

“There used to be a partnership deal between Asante Kotoko and Sunderland and we are going to sign another deal with an English club.

“What we seek to do is to plug Kotoko into that EPL club. Whatever they have there, we need to have it here. Even if it is not the same size, it will be a replica.

“We are going to link, as part of the partnership, our technical team to their technical team; our youth set-up to their youth set-up.

“That English Premier League club has about the best academy in England and arguably in the world; they’ve produced superstars.”

In July 2019, Southampton academy placed third in the ranking of the leading developers of Premier League talent. They only came behind Tottenham and Manchester United.

It is still early days but if Asante Kotoko was a ship on coarse waters with the captain not knowing how to avoid rough sea waves, we can now say a new captain is in with his able assistants ready to sail to safety. That new captain is Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nana Yaw Amponsah. His able assistants are the eight Management members unveiled on Tuesday in Kumasi.

The appointment of the Management has been greeted with excitement and rightly so because we deserve a leadership that will give us what we aspire as fans. That is the type of leadership or management Nana Yaw Amponsah (NYA) and his team are promising. Just like when he was unveiled, NYA, during Tuesday’s press conference gave us a foretaste of what is to come.

Outfits worn by the Management members was the first major talking point when they arrived at the Sports Hotel, clad in good-looking green, red and black Kotoko branded African wear. That sent a signal, in fact, a message that branding of the club will be taken seriously. The Management scored full marks with their attire and their general outlook. Everything on stage was well-branded in our colours and insignia, giving good optics.

I monitored media reviews of the event extensively. None gave the organisation and execution of the press conference low appraisals. That is what leaders who pay optimum attention to every detail offer. NYA stated his resolve to protect Kotoko, saying, “No brand will take Kotoko for granted” under his watch – a firm assurance from a leader who knows the potential and worth of the brand he leads. This is not the time to dwell on the past and rake dead, negative issues.

It is time to chart a new path, a time to work harder and put Kotoko on an enviable pedestal. The foregoing was patently clear in NYA’s assertion that, his concern as CEO is not about what should have been done in the past but was not done but rather how to build a “solid foundation for the future”. In building that future, Kotoko need proper infrastructure. The Board’s approval for an ultra-modern training facility at Adako Jachie within the next three months therefore suffices.

Something as basic as an ultra-modern training facility is key to the development of football club. Kotoko cannot be an exception in that regard. We need better infrastructure – basic, quality ones for development. Football thrives on proper plans and money. A big squad also means a bigger wage bill. Prudent management of financial resources is imperative. As a result, a 30-man squad for the team is positive just like the confidence reposed in coach Maxwell Konadu.

Konadu and the technical team need that confidence to thrive. We must put our shoulder to the wheel and support the new direction the club has taken. We need to build useful partnerships and stronger relationships as a club. In that vein, being on the verge of securing a partnership deal with an English Premiership side aside signing four new sponsorships soon is another excellent development, NYA talked about. We truly on course for a new direction.

The vibe around Kotoko presently is refreshing. Management needs that renewed and strong verve to drive its agenda. We cannot be so certain of the future but the realistic expectation is that, all things being equal, the fine talk and the ideas espoused by NYA, will culminate into a team that competes favourably and win honours both at home and abroad – on and off the field.

By Jerome Otchere/Kotoko Express App

The Ghana Football Association (GFA), on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 organized a training session on the use of Domestic Transfer Matching System [DTMS] for all TMS managers from the Premier, Division One and the Women’s Elite Clubs.

Over the years, some clubs have had issues regarding domestic player transfer and this move by the IT Department of the GFA has come in handy to eliminate all barriers regarding transfer activities.

“As the Ghana Premier League, Division One and the Women’s elite league is set to resume, clubs will be transferring players domestically and it is important to be abreast with tips on the use of this transfer system. said GFA I.T Director Francis Adu

“This will give the football authorities first-hand information on domestic player transfers and help clubs transfer players more quickly and easily “ he added

The training which is web-based is a data storage system whose main objective is to simplify the transfer process of players as well as to improve transparency and flow of information.

As part of measures to ensure transparency, the DTMS will help the association and its clubs to manage and supervise national signings, generate statistics to help reduce the duration of the transfer process and store the required documents online securely.

The DTMS is mandatory for domestic transfer of professional and amateur soccer players of both sexes in football competitions.

©GFA

If you are in the food services and delivery business where despite Covid-19 restrictions, you were able to improvise to suit the difficult times or managed to make gains, you may have to count yourself lucky. For, others in events organisation or businesses like football, were not so fortunate to have their businesses thriving amidst the Covid-19 restrictions.

That chiefly explains why there was joy within our football fraternity when President Akufo-Addo eased restrictions on football in his 17th update on measures taken against the spread of Covid-19. Those within the corridors of power at the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MOYS) and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) knew of the President’s move. So, the easing of the restrictions was no surprise to them but the satisfaction in their voice has been distinctly clear.

The GFA’s General Secretary, Prosper Harrison Addo in a reaction to the President’s announcement, told me, “Our business is football” and to the extent that, they could not sell their products due to Covid-19 restrictions; there is cause to be happy if they can now do business. Prosper’s view sums up the issue. Clubs were dealt a big blow when football was suspended in March. Ambitions were cut short. Dreams truncated and the future even unknown.

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It was hard to tell when football would return. The season would be cancelled eventually in June. That meant more hardship for clubs who, prior to Covid-19, were struggling already. The talk of pay-cuts was akin to strangling the already hungry players. Coaches remained idle. Fans endlessly grumbled in boredom. For club owners and administrators, their stress was more. Having to find money out of nowhere to pay players while making plans simultaneously for the resumption of the game anytime authorities deemed appropriate was quite a headache.

The media were not left out of the difficulties Covid-19 and suspension of football created for their work too. Media right owners of our league and FA Cup, StarTimes, needless to say, re-programmed for the Ghana Premier League’s dedicated channel, Adepa. Now, the return of football means a revival of all businesses related to the game. That, attendance at match venues will be limited to 25 percent capacity to ensure social distancing and the observance of other Covid-19 protocols is good health-wise.

However, that arrangement also and instantly presents a financial challenge to clubs even before a ball is kicked. Our clubs mostly rely on gate proceeds for survival. Therefore, control of the numbers that can be at matches even if attendances were good, is a problem. This notwithstanding, football’s return offers more positives than negatives for players eager to train and play competitively; for coaches anxious to test and pitch their new recruits; for fans ready to be entertained and indeed for club owners and others hopeful of making gains no matter the situation.

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The return of the game is good news and how well we fare with our test-run, that is, playing the game under the eased restrictions could see the loosening up of the restrictions more, and to provide a better environment for the football business to thrive.

By Jerome Otchere/Kotoko Express Editor