Players promise to return to Ghana

19th July 2007

Correspondent:  Thomas Boakye-Agyeman  Kumasi

Players of Kumasi Asante Kotoko left Kumasi on Wednesday for Accra on their way to Germany for a two week tour in high spirits. Some of The players in separate interviews with the Kotoko Express expressed optimism that the training tour will be very successful and fruitful which will serve as the spring board for the Porcupine Warriors to reclaim the league title that was “stolen” from Asante Kotoko by Hearts of Oak.

The players and technical team members reported at the main entrance of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium and it was all joy for their families who followed to say good bye as the long journey to Germany began. Onlookers and several fans of the great club could not help but clap and cheer as the Kotoko bus finally left at 2.00PM but not before the players had expressed their gratitude to management and the organizers of the trip.

Showbobo Emmanuel Osei Kuffour told the Kotoko Express that with Kotoko’s first batch returning from Sudan recently and another batch embarking on a training tour of Germany, the playing body cannot ask for any other thing.

“it is clear that in term of facilities and quality matches, the Kotoko team will be ahead of all our competitors in terms of off season preparations. This instantly installs Kotoko as the hot favorites for the league. We are not going for holidays and it is our hope that the facilities that will be at our disposal will be used well to our advantage. The supporters should unite behind us and we promise them we will come back a better Kotoko team”, Kuffour said.

Two senior players Daniel Acquah and Nana Arhin Duah could not agree more with their colleague as they termed the trip as a God sent. They said the trip will help the club to be in top shape ahead of the league and also a good experience especially for the new players. Though this is not the first time Kotoko is embarking on a foreign trip, the two players described the German trip as special which could be compared to the current tours being embarked by clubs like Chealsea,Inter and Liverpool.

But a few supporters of Kotoko were worried as they believed the exposure of the Kotoko players to European clubs would mean Kotoko losing some players before next season. Though some players told the Kotoko Express they will be seeking to impress the clubs and scouts in Europe, the most important thing is to prepare themselves for the up coming league. Most of the new players believed it will be too early to seek greener pastures and pledged their future to Kotoko, at least for the next two years. Coach Bashir Hayford has expressed worries last week about the rampant departure of Kotoko players abroad which he said is affecting his team building. He mentioned Isaac Vorsah and Murtalla Mohammed as examples and asked management to be tough on transferring players abroad.

They told the Kotoko Express that there be no fears that they will not return to Kotoko because it will be too early for that and as the team will be spending twelve days, it will not be possible to immediately make impression on any club as they explained that even if any club express interest in them, Kotoko would be contacted. The new players were all happy about the tour and promised to fight for their positions before the team returns to Ghana as they heard some players who made the trip to the Sudan did impress the technical team.