The writer has shed light on why the Porcupine Warriors young and visionary chief executive officer must be hailed, motivated and protected for the betterment of the game
Decades ago, Ghana football was at the pinnacle of the African game! Ghana was the primus inter pares (first among equals) as far as soccer on the African Continent was concerned!
The Black Stars of Ghana conquered Africa as debutants in the AFCON competition in 1963, and defended the trophy in 1965. In 1968 and 1970, Ghana were beaten finalists, making it four successive finals for the “Brazilians” of the African game!
Ghana added two more Afcon titles in 1978 and 1982, respectively!
At club level, the porcupine warriors, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, led by all-time greats such as Baba Yara, Abdul Razak (Golden boy), Wilberforce Mfum, Robert Mensah, Opoku Nti, Opoku Afriyie, Ibrahim Sunday, to mention but a few, were so dominant in African club competitions, winning two continental laurels in 1970 and 1983, with a total of 7 finals between 1967 and 1993!
In the Capital, Kotoko’s domestic nemesis, Accra Hearts of Oak, boasting of exceptionally gifted players such as Mohammed Polo, Mama Acquah, Anas Seidu, Peter Lamptey, and Robert Hammond ( The fearsome five), also made names for themselves through two continental finals in 1977 and 1979, and further legitimized the accolade of Ghana as a true soccer powerhouse in Africa! Hearts of Oak, through the famous “64 battalions” would win the Caf champions league in 2000.
In 2004, Ghana’s top clubs, Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko played an all-Ghana finals in the Caf confederations Cup!
A lot has changed since the haydays of Ghanaian football! The three successful world cup participations in Germany, South Africa, and Brazil were great achievements of recent times! Ghana equaled the African record at the FIFA WORLD CUP by progression to the quarter finals of the competition in 2010 in South Africa!
Despite the few successes recorded by Ghana in recent times, the country has generally performed poorly both at club level and at international level! Our senior national team has not won the Afcon competition since 1982! Our clubs have become pale shadows of themselves since the 2004 confederations Cup final showdown between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko!
The ertswhile administration of the Ghana Football Association, led by Kwasi Nyantakyi, did a fairly impressive job, winning the U-20 world cup in 2009, two Afcon finals, and three successive world cup participations! Kwasi Nyantakyi, who got banned through the notorious “Anas Expose”, remains one of the finest GFA capos the country has ever had despite the rather disgraceful manner in which he bowed out from office!
The recent embarrassment at the ongoing Afcon competition in Cameroon is a call to duty for all stakeholders of the game! The Kurt Okraku led administration has had a particularly tough start, exacerbated by COVID-19 restrictions and economic constrictions! We all have a duty to support the administration to succeed!
If Ghana football would be revived, then domestic football must lead the charge! The domestic league must become attractive to woo sponsors and all stakeholders alike to patronize the product! Leadership is of crucial significance if any meaningful outcome is to be actualized!
Nana Yaw Amponsah, Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s chief executive officer, is a jewel all well-meaning soccer enthusiasts must help to protect and encourage, in a bid to revive our local game! Since his appointment, the young, enterprising, and visionary administrator has revolutionized soccer administration in the country! Among the many achievements, the one that strikes me most is the “Virtual seat” challenge! Fans of the club, who are unable to troop to the Kumasi Sports stadium are encouraged to pay monies through momo and other means to support the club!
The club has so far generated over or close to ghc100,000 through this initiative! The transparency with which sums realized through the initiative are published is most encouraging, and admittedly, a positive deviation from what we know to be the norm in our game!
Gate proceeds are published, another groundbreaking yet positive initiative which sets Nana Yaw Amponsah apart from his peers! Kotoko’s transfer policy has proven to be one of the best in the country, with the recent sale of Razak Abalora for a reported $300,000 a testament to the shrewdness with which the club runs its recruitment policy!
Many young players have been acquired through extraordinary scouting systems! Isaac Oppong, and the two Cameroonian imports, George Mfegue, and Etuoga Mbella, are testaments to the successes chalked in the recruitment of players so far!
Asante Kotoko has struck many sponsorship deals, including strategic partnerships which include a partnership with EPL side, Southampton!
As any administration, the Nana Yaw Amponsah led administration have had their fair share of challenges! However, on a whole, the administration has been one of the best for the club in recent years, and all well-meaning fans of football, particularly the fans of Asante Kotoko, should protect and support the administration to steer the club back to its lost status as a continental giant!
By: Bismark Oppong Korang