Asante Kotoko Express: August 6 2002

ARHIN DUAH FLOWN TO SOUTH AFRICA

Injured Kumasi Asante Kotoko striker, Nana Arhin-Duah left Accra last night for Johannesburg, South Africa to seek medical treatment for a nagging knee injury which has kept him out of action since Kotoko played Orlando Pirates in the 3rd placed match of the Vodacom Challenge on July 14. Duah whose addition into the Kotoko squad this season added so much punch upfront is expected to be away for at least ten days.

Management of Kotoko say Duah is going back to see the doctor who first attended to him when he had the injury in South Africa and the instruction from management is that he has to come back healed.

Doctor Ross Potgieter of the Family Chiropractic Centre in the plush Johannesburg suburb of Sandton is expected to perform a comprehensive X-ray of the knee to determine if the initial diagnosis of a torn ligament is actually the case before administering the right medication expected to restore the player back to his full status as a striker of extraordinary qualities.

Duah who until late last week seemed to be recovering from his injury and was expected to start against King Faisal, relapsed last Thursday and arrangement were immediately made to send him to South Africa to heal his ailment. Interestingly the striker who has five goals to his credit this season was invited by Coach Milan Zivadinovic to join the Black Stars late last week. Asante Kotoko Express will keep readers updated on Arhin-Duah’s recovery in South Africa.

KOTOKO MAKE IT DOUBLE OVER FAISAL

A fourth minute strike by striker Abedi Sarfo earned Kumasi Asante Kotoko the vital three points when they clashed with loudmouth Alhaji Karim Grunsah’s King Faisal.

The victory over King Faisal means that Kotoko has recorded a double over their city rivals, King Faisal who succumbed to a 1-2 defeat to the Porcupine Warriors in the first round. Credit must however go to goalkeeper Nicholas Opoku Ware who in the dying minutes of the game put up a splendid performance with two great saves from Skipper Godwin Ablordey’s power laden shots.

The match was barely four minutes old when Abedi Sarfo capitalised on a defensive blunder by Brefo Mensah to drill a grounder past goalie Opoku Ware.

King Faisal accepted the challenge and embarked on a desperate attempt to level up but the defensive trio of Godfred Yeboah, Fuseini Adams and Isaac Owusu kept the slate clean.

In the 18th minute Joe Hendricks caused several hearts to miss a beat when he miscalculated a loose ball but Osei Boateng saved the situation admirably. With Fuseini Adams playing one of his best games the defender scuttled a move by Kwabena Boateng in the 24th minute.

Goalkeeper Osei Boateng who kept the post after a long lay off lived up to expectation in the 31st minute when he saved slippery, Ben Wilson’s shot.

Libero Isaac Owusu also made mincemeat of Yahuza Abubakar on the far left when the striker was heading dangerously towards goal. Disaster struck Kotoko on the 40th minute mark after Abedi Sarfo was cynically brought down and was stretched off and a minute later Nana Frimpong who kept on harassing the King Faisal defence shot narrowly over the bar. Coach Ian Porterfield on resumption brought on Michael Osei and Shilla Alhassan for Abedi Sarfo and Nana Frimpong respectively.

Shilla nearly fetched the second goal for Kotoko but he failed to connect home a Michael Osei cross from the right letting King Faisal off the hook.

Playing his first match after the vicious attack on him by Maxbees’ Ben Adjei, Hamza who played with a plastered eye, proved a pillar in midfield, covering every blade of grass. However it was obvious that he was not 100 per cent fit even though it was clear he had the will to pursue the cause of the Porcupine Warriors.

In the 77th minute Hamza was fouled by Ben Wilson and Referee Buckman Yanney from Saltpond flashed his yellow card in the face of the King Faisal striker.

Kotoko could have increased the tally to two in the 78th minute but Shilla Alhassan - who gave the King Faisal defence a hell of a time - and Michael Osei wobbled in front of goal. In the 85th minute Ian Porterfield brought on Abass Inusah for Stephen Oduro to beef up the defence but it was Kotoko, which maintained their solitary lead till the end of the match.

LINE UP: Osei Boateng, Fuseini Adams, Isaac Owusu, Joe Hendricks, Joe Sam, Mohammed Hamza, Godwin Ablordey, Nana Frimpong/Shilla Alhassan, Abedi Sarfo/Michael Osei, Stephen Oduro/Abass Inusah.

WHY I MUST QUIT – HERBERT

Chief Executive Herbert Mensah on Tuesday reinforced his decision to quit his post at the end of the season explaining that he hopes his exit from the club would perhaps end the numerous yet growing number of people who seem poised to undo Kotoko.

Herbert re-emphasised his decision during an interaction with a section of supporters who had thronged the team’s morning training session at the Ridge Park.

The short interaction discussed a number of issues pertaining to the welfare and growth of the club.

Key among the issues was his tenure at the helm of affairs and the seemingly unending number of people and organisations perceived to be opposed to anything Kotoko.

The supporters, some of who were agitating for protest marches against the Minister of Youth and Sports for allegedly doing nothing to help the cause of Kotoko but prefers to throw spanners into the club’s progress, and the GFA and its allied organisations for what they termed ‘selective justice’ in handing out punitive measures against Kotoko but ignoring similar or more grievous actions by other clubs, wanted to know what precisely those opposed to the current administration have been looking for.

"Chairman why, why do they all want to destroy Kotoko, what is our crime?" They asked repeatedly.

Among other cases, they wondered why the FA would pontificate at Kotoko for the non use of the Accra stadium dressing room during the team’s 16th week league clash with Hearts of Oak when the FA had not as much as winked an eye at Hearts when they also refused the use of the Kumasi stadium dressing room only three weeks earlier.

They were equally at a loss as to why the FA’s Disciplinary Committee would let Ben Adjei of Maxbees walk around a free man when he intentionally stamped on Hamza Mohammed when Kotoko played Maxbees in Kumasi. "Had it been a case of Kotoko players attacking an opponent in the manner that Ben Adjei visited on Hamza, Kotoko would have been punished a long time ago. Why? Why?"

Herbert explained that since the regime of the former Youth and Sports minister, E.T. Mensah, Kotoko has suffered too many injustices that he thought needn’t occur. With the coming in of the new FA and political regime, he had hoped that a level playing field would be provided all clubs to advance the development of the game of football in the country. "Unfortunately, even people who profess love for Kotoko are also fighting us. Those who must gather with us are rather dispersing the little we are gathering. If my exit will bring them back to Kotoko so they can lend their support, I will go so they can do their lot for Kotoko. I believe we should live as a family, not splinter groups. They can have Kotoko at the end of the season and from the background, what little we can, we will also offer it. We all want the best for Kotoko and if my exit will bring the very best to Kotoko, why should I stay on?" explained Herbert. He expressed the hope that Kotoko would not end the season empty handed. ‘Never think the league is over, even with the 10-point difference for Hearts, what happened to us could happen to them. We are still in Africa and there is the knockout to play. I know we will end the season on a good note," he said.

Herbert pledged that he would continue to fight for what is just for Kotoko and asked the supporters not to give up hope but to support the club in any way they can.

The supporters called for an open balloting in pairing the league fixtures, alleging that over the years, the fixtures are paired to the disadvantage of some of the clubs. The Referees Appointment Committee should also conduct their appointments in the open to purge it of unsavoury remarks to the effect that certain officials with biases for certain clubs are appointed to handle specific matches to tilt match results in specified directions.

LET’S GUARD OUR CRITICISM – EDITORIAL

Being one of the newspapers that spares no one of criticism, it would be odd for us to caution people not to criticise, but we have been compelled to offer advice to the many critics who have surfaced as a result of our loss to Accra Hearts of Oak and the obvious implications as far as the 2002 league is concerned.

Immediately after our loss to our rivals we did counsel in our editorial the need for all our supporters to offer the needed criticism to enable all and sundry better appreciate the job at hand and work hand in hand for the good of Kotoko.

Interestingly some of the commentary and criticism making the rounds are a source of worry because they seem not to be geared towards the general good of Kotoko. Instead they are geared towards derision of efforts made by the Herbert Mensah administration over the three-year period to resuscitate the fortunes of Kotoko.

We do not need to waste readers’ time with another treatise on the current administration’s successes, but it is sad when people refer to the recruitment of players like Shilla Alhassan, Abedi Sarfo, Michael Osei and Nana Arhin-Duah as a waste of money.

Much as we believe it is good to criticise it is indeed demoralising to tag Herbert Mensah as a money waster. Certainly there is no doubt that playing second fiddle to Accra Hearts of Oak for close to a decade is not something to be amused about, but for God’s sake, Kotoko is not relegation bound or even vying for the second position with another team.

Aside the league, the club has swept every possible title since 1999. Success does not come cheap and perhaps some bad mistakes have been made, but let no one make it seem as if our players do not have what it takes. Let people also not forget that players like Charles Taylor and Bernard Dong Bortey were bought with hard currency and not for a song and a dance. The circumstances surrounding how Kotoko missed their services are too well documented so we cannot blame the current management for not securing their services. Some people now believe we have a bunch of hopeless players who are good for nothing and cannot win even a plastic cup!

How some of our supporters forget so soon is a sad indictment on us because part of Kotoko’s problem is that when we are down no one wants to stick his neck out to offer his support, but they expect management to swim against the tide so that when success returns they can savour it.

Our players who are today being derided are the very ones who performed so creditably in the first round. Nothing has changed and it would do us all a lot of good if we constructively criticise what has gone wrong instead of abusing the players for being useless and management for making bad purchases.

A future has been sown for Kotoko and it can only be nurtured if our entire support base believes in the power of a great Kotoko in the near future. If we are going to sit and bicker over one regrettable loss, then we have no business supporting Kotoko.

This is the time we need to come together to fight the gross injustices that have been perpetrated on our club by a Mafia in the FA that seems not to have been exposed by the new administration and thus is becoming stronger and more devious.

The time has come for us to go back to the stadium to offer our strong support instead of the scant attendance we see at most of our home matches nowadays. It is an eyesore.

Kotoko deserves a better deal and the time is now. Asante Kotoko – kum apem a, apem beba!

JOE DEBRAH LEAVES FOR GERMANY – CAMP NEWS

Asante Kotoko will be missing the services of one of its junior coaches, Joe Debrah for an unspecified period of time, Camp News has learnt.

A source, who disclosed this to Camp News said Joe left the country for Germany last Sunday where he will be joining his wife, Adwoa.

Joe, who was roped into the Under-20 technical team by former Coach, Ernst Middendorp has jointly been in charge of the junior team with Paa Kwesi Fabin.

He returned from Germany early last year and had hoped to play actively but the then technical director, Ernst Middendorp advised him to rather understudy him and assigned him a joint coaching responsibility of the junior team. Though his absence would be felt, it would not have a serious toll on the team as Paa Kwesi remains at post and has continued with the normal programme.

The source that disclosed this to Camp News remained silent on when Joe Debrah would return.

Meanwhile the supporters who had stayed away from the training ground of the team after the club’s 0-3 loss to Hearts of Oak have returned in their numbers after two consecutive victories over Suhum Maxbees and B.A. United.

The wild allegations and rumour mongering have also receded significantly mainly as a result of the Chief Executive’s interactions with the fans and also the two victories before last Sunday’s against King Faisal.

The supporters have defied the constant drizzles and have been present to see the players who have been out of the first 18 battling their ways into it and also those in it doing their best to keep their places.

Mr. Ian Porterfield, on the other hand has ensured that nothing is left to chance at training. He has offered every player the chance to prove himself and has worked on every detail of the game of association football-dead balls, movements, placing, defending and attacking.

THURSDAY AUGUST 1, 2002

A training session was held on Thursday morning at 9:00am instead of the scheduled 9:30am. That was due to the players’ early arrival.

The players who played against B. A. United the previous day did low running exercises with intermittent stretching and a rather tough match was organised for those who did not play by Ian Porterfield against the Under-20 side.

Featuring for the senior side were Osei Boateng, Edmund Owusu Peprah, Kwadwo Poku, William Thompson, Isaac Owusu, Stephen Oduro, Joe Louis, Eric Kwaku Duah, Stephen Owusu and Frank Osei.

The Under-20 side was made up of Kwadwo Yeboah, Mumuni Yahaya, Charles Oppong, Yahaya Seidu, Kwame Appiah, John Arhin, Francis Akwafo, Eric Asante, Samuel Owusu, Eric Agblor and Yaw Amoako.

With Francis Akwafo and Eric Agblor leading the attack, the youngsters threatened and succeeded in creating openings in the seniors defence but failed to hit the back of the net.

In a "panin de panin’ fashion, the seniors scored a goal in each half, courtesy, Isaac Owusu and Frank Osei respectively. Isaac was however red-carded by referee Joe Carr for visiting a brutal tackle on Francis Akwafo but his place was surprisingly taken by his superior, Godwin Ablordey (who was doing low running) amidst shouts of "libero, libero" from his colleagues.

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2002

The junior team trained once starting at 6:00am with the seniors having two sessions.

Paa Kwesi Fabin played the side that had played against the seniors the previous day against another set of the junior team, which featured Stephen Oduro.

The side Oduro featured for won the game by 4-2. Francis Akwafo and Eric Agblor scored a goal apiece with Samuel Owusu scoring the other two for the winning side while Dominic Kusi and John Acheampong got the two goals for their side.

The seniors began their session at 8:30am and after a series of warm ups, a lecture, movements and conditioning work, Ian Porterfield ushered them into a collective play of 11-10 aside with some interchange of personnel. Playing for one side were George Owu/Eric Nii Baah, Fuseini Adams, Godfred Yeboah, Isaac Owusu, Joe Hendricks, Abass Inusah/Stephen Oduro, Godwin Ablordey, Michael Osei, Joe Sam, Nana Frimpong and Abedi Sarfo/Frank Osei.

Osei Boateng, Aziz Ansah, Kwadwo Poku, Kwaku Duah, Stephen Oduro/Abass Inusah, Joe Louis, Stephen Owusu, Joe Okyere, Frank Osei/Abedi Sarfo and Shilla Alhassan featured for the side with ten players.

The afternoon session was used for pure shooting and movements. But when the session had ended and Mr. Porterfield had urged the boys to score from close range and rebounds, it was all fun as he would punish those who fail by letting them run and return to do it again. Some of them did more than five times before getting it right while others had it at a go.

SATURDAY AUGUST 3, 2002

A light training session was held in the morning after, which the squad of 20 for the match against King Faisal was named.

UPDATES:

STEPHEN ODURO: In his bid to regain his best of forms, Zico has doubled his efforts at training and it showed when he chose to train with the Under-20s on Friday before continuing with the senior colleagues. He joined the squad against King Faisal having failed to make it to Sunyani last Wednesday.

MOHAMMED HAMZA & DAN ACQUAH: Hamza and Acquah did low running exercises on Friday and have since continued. Hamza usurped the role of senior ball boy Akwasi Fosu in the afternoon session of Friday-providing his colleagues with water during training.

FRIMPONG MANSO &ISAAC KWAKYE: The two former stars paid a surprise visit to the training ground on Friday morning.

KOTOKO-FAISAL: HOW THE PLAYERS FARED

For the first time in recent encounters between the two sides, King Faisal dominated play, particularly in the first half where they drew rings around the Kotoko players. They however failed woefully to translate that dominance into goals, hardly threatening Osei Boateng in goal. The credit could also go the way of the Kotoko defence, who covered each other so nicely when forced to defend. The good news was that Kotoko won even though the score could have gone comfortably higher than the fourth minute lone goal fetched by the fast improving Abedi Sarfo.

OSEI BOATENG: He simply refused to be beaten with the long drives that in the past proved his undoing. He also made a very good save in the 77th minute from the edge of his box and followed it with timely interventions when the defence were beaten. Some of his kick-ins went bad, and lived dangerously with a weak back pass from Fuseini but he managed to clear the ball to safety. Not tested much in this game but lived up to expectation. Rating: Good

FUSEINI ADAMS: Gradually establishing his presence as a real force to reckon with at the right back, he would need to keep his concentration till the end of the game. Lost possession once in a very threatening position that could have been costly. Generally, he played well and managed one of his trademark shots from a free kick that was saved. The shot came from a long distance but was well delivered and well directed. Rating: Good

GODFRED YEBOAH: Had a good afternoon particularly in the first half. During the second half, he initially struggled to contain the slippery Ben Wilson, but he overcame the difficulty and thereon played with a lot of confidence, pushing his men forward and sometimes joining them upfront. Rating: Good

ISAAC OWUSU: Ninja played a very improved game, careful not to make any of those delicate turnings that sometimes incurred some uncharitable comments from the fans. Made a very important intervention in the second half by scooping the ball away before the Faisal attackers could strike it. He also combined nicely with Hendricks, providing each other with a good depth in defence. Rating: Good

JOSEPH HENDRICKS: Had a usual game: strong, unyielding and committed. Stayed in his defensive zone most of the time but occasionally moved out to cover up for his colleagues when they were committed upfront or had been beaten. His clearances were swift but didn’t seem too much in a hurry to press forward. Rating: Good

MOHAMMED HAMZA: Had an average output but still looked committed, playing a team game helping to organise the midfield and sometimes the defence. Understandably he hardly won any aerial tackle, careful not to bruise his eye injury. Rating: Average

JOE SAM: Had one very good drive at goal but missed. He however played a tight midfield game with Ablordey and Hamza. The crowded midfield presence of the three players sometimes left the wings heavily under pressure and gave the Faisal attackers some room to operate, but he often managed to feed the attackers. Could have done better with some of the passes that went astray. Rating: Good

GODWIN ABLORDEY: The Skipper gave too many balls away on a day that the opponents were almost always winning the 50 - 50 balls. He fought back gamely though, and made amends wrestling the balls for his side when Faisal were on the offensive. Was very effective organising his side. Coming back from injury, he took some bad knocks but managed to play full time. Rating: Good

NANA FRIMPONG: Nana had a very quiet afternoon and was wrongfully penalised when he played safety first. Managed to win a few balls and supplied well, one of which saw Abedi Sarfo score very early in the game. Looked too heavy when he had to sprint. Gave way to Shilla Alhassan after the first half. Rating: Average

ABEDI SARFO: Scrambled in the only goal of the match but largely fizzled out. Played well in the early minutes of the game, running after the balls and distributing well. He is gradually growing very confident in front of goal and must keep it up. Was substituted by Michael Osei after the break. Rating: Good

STEPHEN ODURO: Tried to take the Faisal defence on, on a number of occasions. Nearly scored from a long drive but his free kick was tipped over the bar by Opoku Ware in goal for King Faisal. Gave way to Abass in the dying minutes of the second half. Rating: Good

SHILLA ALHASSAN: Came on after the break and quickly announced his presence in a swift combination with Michael Osei. Played well, trying lots of carpet passes to his colleagues. Was unlucky his shot at goal in the 46th minute was fisted out. He also made several other good attempts at goal but was unsuccessful. Always difficult to dispossess of the ball. Rating: Good

MICHAEL OSEI: The sprinting forward had a good afternoon, threatening on several occasions to score but without success. He should have tapped the ball into the net from a Shilla grounder but he seemed confused, allowing the ball to run across the Faisal goal. But he combined well with Shilla in the early minutes of the second half. Rating: Good

ABASS INUSAH: Came into the game very late and managed a few tackles. Tried taking on the Faisal defence in one instance but lost out just when he was almost through to shooting range.

FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD II – KWAME’S OPINION

What is in a sanction or a fine? This is the question on the lips of many a soccer fan. What are the circumstances on which fines are determined, especially when the offender has brought the game of soccer into disrepute?

Last Thursday we (Kotoko) were dragged to the FA Disciplinary Committee for refusing to use the dressing room, thereby making it impossible for the inspection of the team to be done there (dressing room) and secondly for dressing on the field of play.

At the Committee our brothers and hosts for the game in question were also invited to answer charges of misconduct on the part of their supporters.

We were arraigned at different times and we all went to defend the charges levelled against us. The decision of the Committee was not made available to us then. However in the evening of the next day I heard on radio that Asante Kotoko had been fined ?2.0m for bringing the game into disrepute by dressing on the field of play. The statement further said that the fine was to serve as a deterrent to others from committing the same offence.

The next day I read a bit of the details on the decision of the Disciplinary Committee on that matter. I am disturbed for the decision in a way.

Since there was no precedent as far as changing on the field of play was concerned, it was for the Disciplinary Committee to decide the extent of punishment to be meted out. But then what was the criterion to determine the punishment or fine imposed?

Was it due to what most people perceive as the financial strength of the Porcupine Warriors or the Disciplinary Committee felt the fine was to be the yardstick for other future offences? We live to see.

Now what happens to parks without dressing rooms? Definitely when teams warm up at Koforidua, Sunyani, Tamale, Sekondi and other places they would want to change from the warm up shorts into the jerseys for the match. Will that constitute an offence? Or will the offence be limited to only Accra, Kumasi and Obuasi?

Now reading the dailies I came across another issue, which confused me. Graphic reported that Accra Hearts of Oak were fined ?1.0m because a fan threw a sachet of water and the Ghanaian Times reported that the fine was for their supporters throwing missiles onto the field of play. Where did the two papers get their stories and why the disparity? To me there is a wide difference between a fan throwing a sachet of ice water and fans misconducting themselves.

If the Graphic story is to be believed it will mean that the fan was arrested and he had admitted that he was a supporter of Accra Hearts of Oak and the club had also accepted the fact that he was their supporter and as such had taken responsibility for the action of that supporter. If a single fan had thrown the ice water sachet and was not caught, how then do they blame Hearts of Oak? Or was the Graphic report only downplaying the event or action?

Whatever it is, the two actions of Kotoko and Hearts according to the Disciplinary Committee had brought the game into disrepute so how come that one club paid two million and the other one million? Just to remind the Committee, two seasons ago fans of Kotoko were accused of throwing missiles when Kotoko played Hearts in Kumasi in the match that players of Hearts attacked a Kotoko fan and Jacob Nettey got injured. Kotoko received a two-match ban for that incident. I wonder whether this is the reason why Graphic is reporting that the punishment is as result of a supporter throwing ice water sachet and not a group of supporters throwing missiles. That is football, some day you will win, and another day you will lose. Defeat is sometimes difficult to take and we may be tempted to push blame onto others.

I wish that all Committees of the FA would be consistent with their decisions; that makes the game interesting. The league continues and we shall never lose hope.

THE HERBERT MENSAH COLUMN: CONFIDENCE AND TRUST

Kotoko – 1, King Faisal – 0

In the end it is all about three points and that is what we got. King Faisal are our bogey team. They play with determination and courage that belie their position in the league. The game was scrappy. It was uncompromising and not very pretty.

We are taking one game at a time and have to keep on winning. For the league we have to remain focused and for Africa we have to see whether our systems make any sense or whether we can improve on them. Our players must simply look to the next match and no further. They must keep their concentration so that they can prevent goals and score as they used to!

Prodigal son Abedi Sarfo scored the only goal of the match. I am happy for Abedi and I hope this goal will mark the beginning of a much-needed return to form! We must now turn our attention to Gyandu Park next weekend. Hasaacas are a tough side and we need to perform at a higher level if we are to be successful in Takoradi!

Kotoko & Hearts and the FA

Late last week we heard via an announcement on Choice FM that we had been fined ?2m for misconduct following our match with Hearts in Accra and Hearts ?1m for supporters throwing water at the fourth official.

I find the whole saga PREDICTABLE but sad. I say this because the basis of the supposed misconduct is something that has been practiced by the majority of premier league clubs at some point in the recent past and at all stadia and parks! Indeed in the last 24 months we have seen Hearts of Oak come to Kumasi and show the same level of "misconduct" without any action being taken. I find it sad that the FA and its assigns observe matches and yet refer matters to the Disciplinary Committee depending on bias rather than pure objectivity. We have after all witnessed behaviour, which for some people has become what is acceptable in Ghana football and seen the FA and its assigns deliberately ignore the acts. Fining Hearts of Oak for water throwing incidents smacks of a weak attempt at a balancing act. Both fines were unnecessary!

The job of managing our game is never going to be easy but the FA seem to be their own worst enemies as they constantly seem to do their best to show contempt for those patronising the game and those investing in the game. We the "players" in the game may not always like the stance or stand of the FA and its assigns but what is important is consistency and equity. We all want to know that one set of rules will be applied to ALL parties and not to a few. If refusal to use the changing rooms, changing in the stadium/park, urinating on the field, water throwing, taking objects onto the field, burying items in the field etc all constitute "misconduct" then it is up to the FA to show equity. Simply choosing to take action against Kotoko smacks of discrimination and it is hardly surprising that our family, the Kotoko family is extremely suspicious to say the least and contemptuous at the other extreme of the FA! We who go to matches and often meet the FA’s observers at matches know that this is practiced by many clubs and we find it sad that Kotoko has been picked on this way. The FA’s interpretation of the seriousness of water throwing by Hearts of Oak is also interesting when one considers how cases of misconduct towards visiting teams, officials and match officials have been handled by the FA at other venues. Object throwing into the inner perimeter is nothing new. I quite remember that two seasons ago Kotoko were banned from the Kumasi Sports Stadium for such an allegation. I say allegation because Kotoko was never called into the FA on the matter, no report was made to Kotoko at the time and the visiting team made no report. It is only this season that in a match against Berekum Arsenals that an Arsenals supporters jumped the inner perimeter and grabbed the linesman’s flag in the course of a game. Arsenals subsequent two-match ban from the Berekum Park was due to other acts of violence!

The FA had made so much noise about its special task force with respect to the match officials. Listening to comments from a caller into a Saturday sports programme the question of who regulates the FA was mentioned. Clearly the FA simply talk and only act when they feel like it and not when offences are committed. I have sat and waited with some patience to see how the FA would be handling the simply atrocious refereeing by F.K. Mensah and have NOT been surprised by their inaction! His performance and that of his assistants were of such a low standard that it discredited their institution and the FA in general. Whether a professional management of the game would have led to a different result is now irrelevant but how can we ever progress if the FA accepts that what was an extremely amateurish level of officiating by a so-called FIFA referee was or is acceptable! Even at the World Cup referees were taken to task often for "honest" mistakes. In Ghana our FA believes that the mediocrity that has set us apart from most of the rest of the continent should be maintained!

In an unsponsored league the message that continues to go out is that the FA does not want to attract meaningful investment in our game! For our teams who go into Africa they have to make a marked and sudden adjustment because the manner in which games are played in Ghana will not be accepted for Africa. I say this because in Africa illegal fouls will not be tolerated, the offside laws will be properly interpreted, penalties and free kicks will be awarded where the offences take place and not adjusted to suit unscrupulous match officials and the opposing teams will know that by and large the game will be played on a level playing field! Teams like Hearts and Kotoko need greater equity from the FA if we are able to replicate the form and dominance from the local league into Africa. They say practice makes perfect and we all know what should and has to be done to ensure that Ghana regains the respect we once had when the mere mention of the likes of Major Lamptey sent shivers of respect to all in Africa!

National Call Up – Club vs. Country?

I have just received a letter from the FA asking for Joe Hendricks, Nana Arhin-Duah, Osei Boateng and Mohammed Hamza to report to camp. If my understanding of the request is clear the FA is requesting that our players attend Black Stars training from Mondays until Friday only to return to Kotoko for final preparation towards our league matches. Before I proceed any further it is important for all to note that we at Kotoko will NOT be restricting the movement of any player to the national team for the time being.

My reservations are however many and significant. From a planning point I am extremely concerned. Last year we went through this debacle with Kotoko rightly sticking with FIFA’s laid out rules and regulations that govern all club vs. country debates! It seems as though we are back in the same melting pot with the FA calling up players well in advance of the impending national assignment and in contravention of the FIFA rules as far as this matter is concerned! Even though we are prepared to cooperate with the FA on this matter the planning is a serious indictment on the FA for the following reasons:

- Given the fact that FIFA rules and regulations are being flouted it would have been professional for the FA to meet with the club chairmen whose players are involved to see how we can best work together. As it stands I do not know the rationale for the current plan and have a lot of questions, which I need addressed.

- It does not say very much for the FA’s respect for the local league if they do not believe there is a need for clubs to prepare for the weekend’s matches. We cannot simply plan for the weekend’s matches without key players and then draft them in on match day! We need to be able to plan with players. We need them to be actively involved in our build up to games. We need them to correct faults from previous matches and be ready to try new systems. Every team we play against is different and we cannot take the same formulae forward in our preparations.

- I would like to know who is responsible for the welfare of our players who have been called up. Someone has to be responsible for their transport and feeding as well as their general welfare! Players get injured and need to be healed. The responsibility must be that of the FA and not the club. There must be an acceptable formula to ensure that there are no misunderstandings.

- We at Kotoko have started our preparations for our Africa Cup quarterfinal encounter with Al Mahala on September 1st. Every match we play (starting from our match with Hearts in Accra) is a trial match for our September 1st match against the Egyptians. We are studying tapes of the Egyptian team and we know that it will not be easy. We have to adapt ourselves for the challenge, which means the involvement of all of our players.

- The key to the success of any operation is consultation and involvement. We have always been ready once the FA is also ready. Consultation does not mean to be dictated to but rather a sharing of ideas with the view to coming to a common understanding!

Unity and Player Selection

We have three sets of goals for 2002 and we have not given up on any of them. The 2002 league is very competitive and we recognise this as we attempt to win matches. We can only continue to play good football if we are united. Our unity must be exhibited on the field, off the field, in management and in the Boardroom.

I am inclined to dismiss recent speculation about disunity at Kotoko. After all if we have been able to withstand the creation of a Board and the departure of Ernst Middendorp after the season had already commenced then we can withstand anything!

Yes I fully accept the adage, united we stand and divided we fall! It is for this reason that I have been spending considerable time with our playing body. As a group they understand and accept this philosophy but individually some of the players have been making suggestions with regards to the team selection, which makes people think that we are not so united. I have made my feelings very clear to all players whom I believe are not confused anymore! The simple fact is that team selection is the sole preserve of coach Ian Porterfield and his decisions are based on the ability and performance of the players in training as well as in match situations! He cannot pick players based on past reputations. He has to deal with current form and seriousness. It is simply not acceptable to accept starting line up selection criticisms based on anything other than the form and commitment of the players!

We have seen the form of a number of players in 2002 change. Great players like Joe Okyere has seen younger contenders like Nana Arhin Duah, Shilla Alhassan, Nana Frimpong, Frank Osei and Stephen Owusu all struggling for the centre position. Others like Michael Osei can no longer be guaranteed his place with the likes of Joe Louis, Kwadwo Poku, Abedi Sarfo and Stephen Oduro to compete with. There is competition at all levels and now that Fuseini Adams is fighting with Aziz Ansah for his old position they also have to be mindful that we have other great players like Kwaku Duah and Abass Inusah who are capable of playing as well as any player at the back or in the middle! Ian plays different systems depending on the team and it may therefore not be possible to always include all players! Ian’s team selections have not been so different from the past and so there is no justification for idle gossip. We shouldn’t forget that he has now played 15 league matches and only lost one match and drawn twice!

All players must be serious if they want to be included in the African squad. Our trials for September 1st have already started and we need to know whom we can trust when it matters most!

In the meantime…

We naturally expected a lull in attendances at our home match after the Hearts of Oak fiasco, but I must say I was deeply disappointed by the level of support we had for the Faisal game. Our supporters simply refused to attend the game but in the end there was celebration all around town. One unique characteristic of the average Kotoko fan is that when we lose important games he shrinks into oblivion and expects some miracle to occur before reasserting himself. We should not forget that management members who are saddled with the job of handling club affairs in victory or in losses are also supporters of the club. They keep their heads high because of their love for Kotoko. Our love for this great club should transcend the inevitabilities of the game. Success is big and we all love to wallow in such glory, but losses are also part and parcel of the game and the earlier we recognized the need to cry a little and pick up the pieces the better.

As it is now match proceeds are almost negligible, but management still has to strive to raise funds to manage day-to-day affairs of Kotoko. Our Circles leaders have to be up and doing, because in recent times they have taken it upon themselves to put management on its toes. It works both ways and it is important that the leadership prove to all that they indeed have influence on the entire support base. Our stadium must be full during home matches and we are throwing the gauntlet to all.