Kotoko, Africa’s club of the century is the 6th biggest football team and professional club in Africa and arguably the biggest club in Ghana. Kotoko to the Asante people is like Barcelona to the Catalans, but recently, Kotoko is like a 3rd division team with a boring style of play. The club first won Africa Cup of Champion Cup now renamed as Champions League in 1970. The current state of Kotoko is like that of AC Milan recently therefore if they want to rule Africa like before, then they must take a look at these factors.
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
The technical team of Kotoko should build a structured model at the base which would see young talent come through and join the first team and become African beaters. Talent alone is not enough, skills have to be honed and nurtured to get the best out of a player. Kotoko has got the power financially to come up with this structure.
FISH OUT PLAYERS FROM ACADEMIES, SUBURB AND TEAMS FROM REGIONS
An example is Abdul Razak, the Golden boy who joined Kotoko from Corners Stone and paid them with his brilliant display. They should have good scouts who will roam about in Ghana especially the villages where some boys get talent but don’t have anyone to help them out. The traditional towns like Bantama, Ash town, Amakom, etc should be monitored daily to bring out players for trails and justify to the Kotoko team.
ORGANISE TOURNAMENTS
Otumfour Osei Tutu can help call out various district in the region for a special tournament maybe named King’s District Cup where the districts play and select their best eleven for the final showdown at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium for the Kotoko team to identify the best young players.
GOOD TRANSFER POLICY
Squad quality comes to mind first when a team wants to compete into deeper ends of the African competitions. It is here Kotoko has been falling short because big teams do big signings. Kotoko must be buying players from Africa. The competition in Africa has become so strong that a club needs better structure and strong finance to be able to compete credibly and Kotoko must dance to the current music. Look when TP Mazembe dominated Africa in 2009 and 2010 in a row and went to play Inter Milan in the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup final in Abu Dhabi, they had assembled and combined local Congolese talents like Robert Kidiaba, Jean Kasusula, Tresor Mputu and foreign imports such as Narcisse and playmaker Kabangu Mulota. This same team descended in the country and shipped the best Ghana Premier League talents in Gladson Awako, Solomon Asante, Richard Kissi Boateng from Berekum Chelsea and Daniel Nii Adjei joined after leaving Kotoko. The Kotoko club should change its transfer activity or else they will be disgraced in Africa again and again.
