Controversial football administrator, Alhaji Karim Grusah has shockingly claimed that Asante Kotoko were the first team to play fixed matches in Ghana.
The King Faisal owner and bankroller insisted the Ghanaian giants have not fought for the interest of other city clubs such as his own, Cornerstone and Kumapem Stars.
Grusah placed an unsolicited call into Kessben FM’s Midfield Action show on Friday morning when extensive details were given about the rise and fall of the clubs.
According to the outspoken administrator, Kotoko have contributed to the ‘dying’ of the clubs.
“Kotoko were the first team in Ghana to play a fixed match,” he claimed.
“In 1958, Cornerstones were in pole position to win the league but Hearts were also in hot contention. Cornerstones had to beat Kotoko to win it. But Kotoko did everything possible to beat Cornerstones to enjoy that they lose out on the title,” he concluded.
Asante Kotoko SC have produced so many great players and some of them have also exhibited the coaching dkills in them after retiring from active football.
Football fans normally become excited when they see their own coaching their idol club. Thos situation is seen worldwide.
footy.ghpush.com/ beings you players players who have returned coach the club, as compiled by Myfabulousonline.
Ebo Mends
Ebo Mends was a successful player during his days as a player for Kotoko. He was an integral part of the Kotoko side that won their second CAF Champions League title in 1983. He spent five seasons with the Reds before leaving Ghana for his coaching course abroad.
Ebo’s first stint as coach of Kotoko was back in 1999 which lasted for 14 games when he was dismissed after a league defeat to Hearts of Oak in Kumasi.
In 2010, he was reappointed as head coach of the club under Dr K.K Sarpong as the first coach under his watch.
Mends, making his second stint with Kotoko, interestingly, did not travel past the halfway mile with the Porcupines.
Ernest Appau
A successful defender during his play days with the Porcupines. He was a part of the 1983 Asante Kotoko CAF Champions League squad that beat Al Ahly to the title.
Appau spent most of his coaching career at the Kotoko youth team. He got the nod to handle the first team on an interim basis in 2017 after Kotoko team bus had an accident on their return from Accra which hospitalised then head coach Steve Pollack.
Appau was shown the exit door as youth team coach in April 2019.
Malik Jabir
The Asante Kotoko legend won the club their first-ever CAF Champions League trophy in 1970 and was the Team Manager when they won it again in 1983.
Jabir won several laurels with the team and later returned as a coach between 2005 to 2006 before a brief spell with Burkina Faso side ASFA Yennenga in 2007.
Karim Abdul Razak
‘Golden Boy’ Abdul Razak had three separate spells with Asante Kotoko during his play days. He won three Ghana premier league titles with the club in 1981, 1986 and 1987.
He first joined Kotoko in 1975 and spent four seasons in which he was crowned African Footballer of the Year award in 1978 before moving to New York Cosmos in the United States.
Razak would return to Kotoko after two years and spent a year with the Reds before joining Al Ain in the UAE. His third stint came in 1986 where he spent five seasons and later joined Africa Sports of Abidjan where he retired after two years.
In 2003, he was appointed the coach of Kotoko and helped the club win their first league title in ten years. He discharged of his post after the 2003–04 league season and returned to Stade Malien where he had previously coached.
Godwin Ablodey
Renowned for his penalty-taking abilities and his passing, Ablodey was a successful captain for the Reds in the 2000s.
He was the assistant coach of Zdravko Lugarusic, but after the sack of the latter, he was asked to take over the club as an interim gaffer.
He prepared them for the league before Frimpong Manso was named to assist him. The duo worked for hand in hand, but it was Manso who eventually assumed the role as the head coach until his sack.
Ablodey was made the Team Manager of the club until he was reassigned as Technical Director for the Youth Team until his sack in 2019.
Frimpong Manso
Another former captain of Asante Kotoko who was named as a stop-gap coach to help the team rediscover their form after the exit of Zdravko Lugarusic in 2017, but he failed to bring the club back to winning ways and after some few games in charge he was axed.
Manso played for Kotoko between 1991-1995 as a defender and won many laurels for the club during his days.
He is currently the head coach of lower-tier side Nkoranza Warriors.
Michael Osei
Michael Osei was signed from Okwahu United in 1989 and spent four years with the Reds before moving to German side Vorwärts Steyr in 1993.
The former midfielder who was the assistant coach of both Didi Dramani and David Duncan was elevated to the head coach role of the club in the middle of the 2015-16 season to replace Duncan. He held the fort and helped the Porcupines place 5th on the league log.
However, he was not confirmed by the new management of Kotoko headed by Dr Kwame Kyei and in the end they parted ways with him in 2017.
Karim Abdul Zito
Zito joined Asante Kotoko from Juantex FC in 1978 and spent nine seasons with the club in which he won 5 league titles, 2 FA Cups and one CAF Champions League in 1983.
He was nicknamed ‘Soccer Police’ by ace commentator Kwabena Yeboah during a game for Kotoko in Kumasi against Semasi Club of Togo.
He has had a stint with the Kotoko youth side and left the club in 2014.
Kwesi Appiah
Appiah, a left-back, played for Asante Kotoko between 1983 and 1993.
He began his coaching career at Asante Kotoko as an assistant coach from 1993-1995 before taking over as head coach between 1995-1996.
Kwesi won 3 domestic trophies as head coach for the team and finished second on the league log in the 1995-1996 season.
Maxwell Konadu
Maxwell began his professional career with Asante Kotoko from 1991 to 1993, with whom he won the Ghana Premier League in his debut season.
After brief spells playing in Tunisia and Germany, Maxwell returned to Asante Kotoko in 1996, before moving to U.D. Leiria of the Portuguese second division in 1997.
Maxwell Konadu replaced Serbian boss Bogdan Korak following his sack in 2011 from Wa All-Stars. He brought stability to the Porcupines and won the first of the three consecutive league titles the Kumasi giants secured from the 2011-12- 2013-14 season.
However, he left after he was named the assistant coach of the Black Stars under James Kwesi Appiah in 2012.
Maxwell after his stints with the national team specifically Black Stars B, accepted to make a second coming to the club in December 2019 after the exit of Kjetil Zachariassen and is currently the head coach of the club.
Raphael Akakpo Patron
Akakpo Patron joined Asante Kotoko in 1991 from Prampram Mighty Royals and spent five seasons with the Porcupines as a striker before leaving to Tema Ghapoha.
Akakpo after a successful career returned to Kotoko in 2017 as a replacement for Godwin Ablodey who was serving as an assistant to Steve Polack.
He has served as an assistant to Paa Kwesi Fabin, CK Akonnor and currently Maxwell Konadu.
Johnson Smith
Another solid player who once turned out for Asante Kotoko in his play days.
Smith after retiring from football ventured into coaching and has had stints with many local clubs. He has had three spells with Kotoko in his coaching career notably in 2008 where he deputize Bashir Hayford.
Smith was yanked off some compensation after a year with the club when Kotoko opted to appoint Paa Kwesi Fabin after the exit of Bashir Hayford. Fabin prefered Yaw Acheampong as his deputy to Smith.
A year after (2010), he was recalled by the club to deputize Fabin after the had relieved Acheampong from his assistant role.
He later took over as an interim coach after the sack of Fabin in 2010 who was struggling and Smith managed to steer the club to a respectable position on the league log after the season.
He was later dismissed for Maurice Coleman. After nine years away from the club, Smith was reappointed in 2019 as one of Maxwell Konadu’s assistants.
Management of Hearts of Oak have refuted reports that their players are owed three months salaries.
Reports emerged on Thursday morning that players of the club were owed three months salaries, following the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the club’s finances.
The report further suggests that non of the players have been paid since March 2020,but the Phobians took to social media to reject the reports circulating in the media.
“The management of Accra Hearts of Oak wants to state emphatically that players of the club are not owed three months salaries as it’s been reported in the media. We therefore urge all to disregard such reports,” the club posted on their official Twitter handle.
The team like the rest of the Ghana Premier League clubs have been inactive after football activities were put on hold due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The family of legendary Ghana Sports Administrator Ohene Djan has petitioned the Presidency to revert the Accra Sports Stadium name back to Ohene Djan.
It would be recalled that former president of Ghana, John Agyekum Kuffour named the Stadium after Ghana’s first Sports Director, but it was vehemently opposed by the Ga Traditional Council and they successfully got the name removed.
Accra Sports Stadium
A member of Ohene Djan’s family has disclosed to Accra-based Angel FM that, the family feel embarrassed after their own son’s name was removed.
The report further indicated that, the family says they will ask government to remove his name from all state archives if the Stadium is not renamed aftet Ohene Djan.
He was the first President of the Ghana Football Association and was the vice of the Confederation of African Football.
Daud Arif – President and Bankroller of Wa Suntaa SC – has heaped praises on the Kurt Okraku-led Ghana Football Association(GFA) just seven months into office.
Okraku was elected President of the football governing body October last year after beaten off competition from ‘favourite’ George Afriyie and others such as Fred Pappoe and Nana Yaw Amponsah.
The new administration has been impressive since they took charge. Many changes have occurred with regards to support from GFA to the clubs.
Prior to the start of the suspended 2019-20 football season football and other materials were shared among the clubs and were relieved of the burden of paying referee’s fees.
Daud Arif told Talk Sports Ghana that he is enthused by the tremendous work done so far by the former Dreams FC CEO and his team.
“I think the FA has been very sensitive to the clubs ever since they took charge. They’ve resourced the clubs with balls, financial support to boost the clubs, we don’t have the headache of thinking of officiating fees again, player card registration has also been subsidized.
He also disclosed that most clubs wouldn’t have survived if they had not received such assistance from the GFA before the commencement of the season.
“These are the things the clubs need; I’ll tap the back of Mr. Kurt Okraku for the wonderful sensitivity shown towards clubs. Most clubs wouldn’t have survived this current campaign with the support Kurt and the FA has given us.
“I’m very grateful to Kurt. If the previous administration was doing this at least Ghana football wouldn’t have been the way it is now,” he added.
Football activities are still suspended after the government of Ghana extended the ban on social media in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ban is expected to be reviewed when it comes to a close on July 31,2020.
Asante Kotoko defender, Augustine Sefah believes that it takes more than a talent to succeed as a footballer in Ghana as one has to overcome many challenges.
In an interview on Opemsuo Radio, the former Ashanti Gold right-back narrated the difficulties he has to go through to achieve his dream of becoming a football.
He indicated that been an extraordinary player alone cannot fetch you success as a footballer in Ghana.
“The truth is that, it takes more than talent to excel as a footballer in Ghana. You need to imbibe discipline to reach the height you anticipate to hit.
“You need to be determined to brave every odds when you decide to become a footballer. At a point I was told how I cannot play football due to my height, but in all that I believed in myself, I challenge myself, and i prayed fervently to God to help me excel,” Sefah passionately disclosed.
“You may be an extraordinary player, but if you lack the strength to overcome hardships and frustrations, then you will are not ready to become a footballer in Ghana” he concluded.
Asante Kotoko legend, Emmanuel Ampiah has suggested Black Stars players won’t respect head coach Charles Akonnor because he has a low personality.
Akonnor was appointed head coach of the Black Stars in January 2020, but he is yet to play his first game due to outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
The former Ghana international has had stints with Dreams FC, Eleven Wise ,Asante Kotoko and Hearts Of Oak.
However, Ampiah believes Akonnor is not in the clout to command respect from the Black Stars players.
“Personality is much involved in football. There are some coaches who command total respect immediately you see them so If the players will respect CK Akonnor then that will be great but for me,
“Akonnor’s personality is very low,” he said during an interview with Kwaku Osei TV, an online TV outfit found on YouTube.
Ampiah also had stints with King Faisal and Berekum Arsenals.
Former Hearts of oak forward Winful Cobbinah scored for Albanian side KF Tirana Wednesday in their 3-1 win against Bylis in the Superliga at the Adush Muça Stadium.
It was the sixth goal in 24 league appearances for the Ghanaian striker.
Cobbinah,opened the scoring in the 27th minute for the league leaders before Idriz Batha increased their lead with a penalty.
Bylis pulled one back in the 66th minute through Ardit Peposhi but Gentian Muca restored the two-goal lead for the visitors.
Minister of Youth and Sports, Isaac Asiamah has cast doubt on the resumption of football activities should government ease restrictions on contact sports like football.
Football remains under suspension, after government lifted restrictions on only non-contact sports amid the coronavirus pandemic. The decision to extend the ban on social gatherings with regards to football is to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
Many have called for plans to be in place, to play matches behind closed doors should the suspension be lifted by government, but Asiamah believes that it will be challenging looking at the dynamics at the moment.
According to the Sports Minister, it’ll cost the National Sports Authority close to GHS 60,000 per match to hold games behind closed doors should it be accepted.
And Asiamah hints that may not be advisable to hold games while the situation get increasing.
“How do we disinfect all the stadia, the hotels because the players sleep there? “How do we test all these players? In our environment, is it possible to play football without our supporters?
“The figure that came out from the NSA was about GHS 60,000 per match. That’s a major challenge,” he said.
The Ghana Football Association is yet to communicate what will happen to the current football season, which has been halted midway due to the pandemic.
However, footy.ghpush.com/ sources indicate that the football governing body may annul the season completely.
