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Allow management to work in peace – Jerry Asare
By: Jerome Otchere
Posted: 16th June 2008
Director of Operations Jerry Asare has appealed to the teeming supporters of Kumasi Asante Kotoko to allow management to work without any undue interference. He said management is capable of transforming and ensuring the proper development of the club hence the need for supporters to be circumspect in their comments and attitudes.
The Director of Operations made these pronouncements in an interview with Kotoko Express over the weekend. Jerry Asare’s comments come in the wake of rumours that the club would play it soft when Kotoko clashes with some relegation threatened clubs in the Onetouch Premier League.
Citing last Wednesday’s match against Sekondi Hasaacas at the Essipong Sports Stadium as an example, the Director of Operations expressed total disgust at suggestions by some supporters that Kotoko should have thrown the match to Hasaacas who are deeply steeped in the relegation zone.
Kotoko took a 2-0 lead in that particular game but momentary loss of concentration and a soft penalty awarded by referee Mercy Tagoe saw the home team equalizing to secure a face-saving 2-2 draw.
He added that it was wrong for some supporters to remark that the team played it ‘soft’ or should have been ‘kind’ to Hasaacas.
“None of these comments fall in line with what we think” he pointed out. He stressed that management, the technical bench and the playing body would not be ‘lenient’ with any relegation threatened club.
“We are determined to leave a good mark. If we won’t do anything, we will not destroy what we inherited from our predecessors. Nobody should think Kotoko will play matches of convenience. We will not succumb to any pressure”.
“The league is not over for Kotoko and even if it were over, we firmly believe in competitiveness. We will not under any circumstance destroy the beauty of the game. We will not play fixed matches. We cannot tell our players to play it soft today. Then the next time, tell them to kill themselves. Such a thing will destroy the team spirit. Apart from destroying the team, it will also stall management’s efforts”.
The Director of Operations observed that the team had reached a crucial stage in the Onetouch Premier League and that every game is important to management.
“We will not ‘throw any match to save any underperforming club. There are five matches to play. We should not forget the league is not over. We may shoot ourselves in the foot, if we do not approach the remaining matches with seriousness or go into a game ill-prepared”.
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