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Players’ bonuses frozen
By: Jerome Otchere
Posted: 19th June 2008
The management of Kumasi Asante Kotoko will not pay winning bonuses to players of the club until the 2007/2008 Onetouch Premier League comes to an end.
What this means is that should the team win all or any of the four remaining league matches, no bonuses will be paid to the players, in addition, outstanding bonuses have also been frozen.
Those aside, the over GH¢100 each player was earning as winning bonus has also been slashed down to the former rate.
This was announced by Chairman Sylvester Asare-Owusu at an emergency meeting with the players and members of the technical bench in the stadium dressing room shortly the 2-0 loss to relegation threatened Great Olympics at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium on Wednesday.
The Chairman said the decision was part of measures to instill discipline and seriousness into the team. He warned that the league was not over and that management would not tolerate any lackadaisical attitudes towards the four remaining matches.
The players were very quiet and looked dejected as the chairman addressed them.
Samuel Laryea’s 2nd minute goal and another from Mohammed Tanko in the 39th minute caused Kotoko’s third defeat in the season.
It was not the 2-0 loss that irked management and Kotoko supporters at the stadium but the circumstance under which the team lost.
Generally, it was a poor performance from the team. As a result, most of the spectators could not help but boo at the players as they walked off the pitch to the dressing room after Hohoe-based Referee Emmanuel Mordey ended the match which recorded an extremely poor attendance.
An absolutely livid Sylvester Asare-Owusu accompanied by Director of Operations, Jerry Asare and Director of Finance and Administration, George Amoako who were equally disillusioned by the performance of the team, stormed the dressing room to hold an emergency meeting with the technical bench and the players. The meeting lasted ten minutes but prior to that, the three management members met Assistant Coach Johnson Smith behind closed doors.
Kotoko Express gathered that the meeting with Coach Johnson Smith was to seek explanation as to why the team played poorly and lost. After the meeting with Coach Smith, Chairman Sylvester Asare-Owusu then addressed players and he did not mince words at all.
“Your performance in today’s match is a disgrace to Kotoko” he said with bitterness.
“By this performance people will think we gave the match to Olympics but that is not the case. The supporters are accusing us of throwing the match for Olympics but how can we do that? Management is very unhappy with this performance and we want this to be the last time” he warned.
Sylvester Asare-Owusu decried the players’ attitude and approach to the game.
“We are also not happy with your attitude. It was unfortunate to see some of you behaving badly towards the referee. The first goal he awarded was wrong but then you should have known his intentions from there. Your attitude was just unacceptable. We do not want players who would challenge referees when they have to concentrate on the game” he stated.
The Chairman wondered why the team would play poorly when management is making all efforts in terms of motivation.
“There are some clubs who owe their players ten months bonuses. But we pay your bonuses on time. I repeat that your performance was unacceptable and until the end of the season, what you have been earning as winning bonuses have been slashed down. We have also frozen all bonuses we are serious and therefore expect seriousness from you”.
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