Who captains Kotoko? –TT to decide

Correspondent: Thomas Boakye-Agyeman, Kumasi

2nd september 2007

After weeks of being saddled with the difficult job of coming out with a list of thirty five players for the coming season, The technical Team(TT) of Kumasi Asante Kotoko has been visited with yet another headache-choosing a skipper for the club. This has become possible in view of the likely departure of Edmund Owusu Ansah.

Painstaking investigations conducted by the Kotoko Express reveals that a large scale campaign is being mounted among the playing body as to the successor of Edmund Owusu Ansah.Though most players and officials of Kotoko are tightlipped as to the truth or otherwise as to who becomes the next skipper of the great team, the Kotoko Express is informed that it has reached a point where greater care, caution and consultation should take place among the playing body, technical team and management before a new skipper is chosen. The race to find a new captain could be compared to that of Gerrard and John Terry in the case of England and that of William Gallas and Gilberto in the case of Arsenal.

The position of a Kotoko skipper has been unstable since the departure of Godwin Ablordey in 2003, after taking over from Prince Adu Poku.The likes of Isaac Owusu Ninja, Joe Hendricks, Shilla Alhassan, Gabriel Issah Ahmed and Edmund Owusu Ansah have all taking their turns but it seems a certain mystery have always surrounded the change of baton from one skipper to the other, due to how they were handled.

It will be recalled that the then substantive skipper Edmund Owusu Ansah traveled outside the country during the just ended league. In his absence, General Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, Michael Ofosu Appiah, Nana Arhin Duah, Daniel Acquah, Godfred Yeboah and Eric Nii Baah all wore the captains band before the season ended.Kuffour and Ofosu Appiah however stood out tall among them all, coming out with high numbers of matches which they captained the club.Kuffour continued to act during the Top 4 tournament and in Germany too where the team played four matches.

When the Kotoko Express questioned the head coach Bashir Hayford as to who the next leader of Kotoko is, he cleverly went round the question explaining that it is a decision he will come out with later. He explained that he is looking for

“a player who is a true and a born leader, with organizational abilities, can represent the coach on the field, communicate well with his colleagues, technical team and officials but above all a player who is very discipline and should always be in form to be in my first eleven”.

With the qualities expected now clear cut, it is left with the technical team to choose from among the playing body who qualifies to be the next Kotoko captain. When pushed to mention the likely candidates, the coach said naturally Osei Kuffour and Michael Fosu Appiah looks the likely candidates but others might emerge in the race.

“I am increasingly becoming happy with the attitude of my players, discipline has silently crept in and we all move together in unison with a common goal. Every good player deserves to be pushed and mind you, nobody is rushing to name a substantive skipper.Kuffour and CID will act for now but soon, I will come out with the skipper’s name and that of his deputy which I will submit to management for final approval.