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It’s a homecoming match- Sylvester
Correspondent: David Kyei, Oseikrom
18th December 2007
The chairman of the management board of Kumasi Asante Kotoko F/C, Sylvester Asare Owusu, has described today’s 5th week premier league match against Accra Great Olympics as a “homecoming event that every member of the Kotoko fraternity has to fully partake in.
According to the chairman of the high-flying Kumasi Asante Kotoko F/C, Kotoko was returning to her fortress, of Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, after years of wandering from one venue to another in search of a place for home matches.
“The return of the club to test-use the Baba Yara Stadium ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations 2008 will if not for anything, give respite to the dedicated supporters who have had to, in addition to looking for money to pay at the gates, also worry for money for transportation to distant and near places all in their bid to see their team play”.
“Since it is a homecoming event, I want to send a special invitation to all Kotoko supporters and none supporters alike to come to the Baba Yara Stadium to witness the display of high quality football, not seen in a long time in the annals of the club”
Chairman Asare Owusu made these comments in separate radio interviews he had in the Garden City of Kumasi last Monday.
According to him, he and other members of management have taken a special interest in inviting fans to the stadium for particular reasons;
“First, it has been a long time since Kotoko played in front of her vociferous fans at the Baba Yara stadium and so we in management feel it a duty to invite our fans to the place since it is going to be a special occasion”
“Secondly, fans who are not even Kotoko supporters should see going to the stadium as a pilgrimage to see and feel at first hand, the wonderful works that have been done at the stadium. I have been there and will like to invite all to come to see the breath-taking reconstruction work that has been done for the fans of Kumasi”.
Commenting on the match itself, Chairman Asare Owusu described Olympics as an unlucky team to be facing Kotoko at a time when Kotoko is virtually unstoppable.
“I feel deep pity for Olympics for playing at this period of our renaissance. Since we will need to win that match to complete our mission of operation fifteen points, I will only say that it will be a nice match that Kotoko will carry the three points that will be at stake and as many goals as our playing will be banging in”.
Falling short of naming the squad for the match, he stated that the club has a special package that will be opened to those who come to the stadium today.
“I am yet to see the coach on the team he shall be assembling, but if the selection we have been using in the previous matches are anything to go by, then I will say that Kotoko will be assembling the best of our best to ensure that besides the points and goals that we shall be amassing, fans will have the benefit of seeing beautiful display of football artistry”.
Kotoko is in a class of her own in the league, a situation that many have assigning different reasons, but to the man whose management handled the ‘wild’ recruitment that saw the club bring in more youthful and talented players thinks the secret for the success is simple:
“Our secrets are discipline and hard work. Our players now understand the new lease of life that we have breathed into the team and so they know every good thing they do for the club will be equally rewarded”.
“The fact that we brought in over ten new players also points to the fact that we in management identified the problems in the team and therefore acted appropriately”.
To make it possible for all to fill the stands in today’s match, management says they have made the gates so moderate that any player who stays away from the match will have no one but themselves to blame, “because they will be missing a lot”.
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