Midfielder, Frank Boateng has returned to Kotoko after seeing himself transfer listed and subsequent move to Berekum Chelsea for the 2010/11 Glo Premier League.

Though his move was greatly resisted by the fans, there was nothing much they could do to reverse the decision as taken by the then coach, Ebo Mends.

Upon management decision, he has been brought back to Kotoko and Frank, who holds a Bachelors Degree in Education and ICT from the University of Education, Winneba, pours his heart out for the first time over the issues that led to his exit and many more, enjoy!

Kotoko Express (KE): you were once a Kotoko player and were transfer listed. How do you feel coming back to Kotoko?

At the first instance of the news of my being transfer-listed, I was a bit confused and disturbed because I my estimation, I was doing well and felt that I deserved to remain in the team. But I also at a point sat back and thought of using that issue as an opportunity to finish my school project work which had been behind schedule for a while.

I must say that I am happy to be back at Kotoko and feels good that the supporters stood up for me.

What in your opinion accounted for your being transfer listed. Was your performance not good enough?

Not at all, I was in good form and so there was no way poor performance could have been the reason. I later got to know from various radio interviews of Coach Ebo that I was transfer listed because I could not match the players he had pencilled for the midfield.

Well he had his opinion which I cannot begrudge but after seeing his team play in as many matches, I realized I could have done better than what he was saying, so from there on, I began looking for what actually was wrong with me to merit that ordeal.

Did you have personal problems with the coach?

I never knew the coach in person until we met at the Kotoko training grounds for the first time so I am sure there was no basis for there to have been a personal problem between us.

Though I had heard his name as a coach and a former player, that was the first time I met him in person.

There is the notion that you were in a race with your coach for a girl’s love. How true was that?

That is a funny assertion. I heard that too and I was wandering why people could also come up with it in the first place. I knew the girls people are talking about as Kotoko supporters who used to visit Gideon Baah at his hospital bedside and since I was the main person taking care of Gideon, I usually met them and that is all to it. I never had a relationship with them and so it can never be true that we were in any race of a sort.

Did the transfer listing negatively affect you in a way?

It would have affected me if I had given the chance to, but since I had done psychology at school and knew how to handle situations such as the one I was in, I had no difficulty dealing with the issue.

I was also encouraged to hold on to my spirits by the Kotoko supporters who urged me on whenever they met me in the streets or saw me at the team’s matches. Yes I was a regular spot at Kotoko matches because I still believed that I could make it back into the club.

I must at this point pay a special homage and tribute to the thousands of Kotoko fans who stood up and spoke against my transfer listing.

I also thank Tema-based Alhaji Abu Lamini who encouraged me and even went to the extent of asking me not to go to any other club but wait on Kotoko with a promise that he paid the salaries I was receiving at Kotoko from his own coffers. I am forever grateful to them all.

After a few days of training you had the opportunity to play your first match, though a non-competitive one, against Ashgold at the Baba Yara Stadium. What went on through your mind before the match and how was the feeling like when you trotted n to the field for warm up?

Trotting onto the field was nostalgic. I felt the hour has come for me to make a statement for myself.

I was under no pressure because though I believe that I need to train harder for the right conditioning for a match, I have the abundance of skill that I should not struggle to impress. I believe I have the gift of a talent that sets me apart from others and that’s I tuned my mind up to do.

How was the fans’ reaction after the match?

Typical of Kotoko supporters, they mob you and even dash you money after matches that you do well and so the way they received me after told me that they were impressed with my performance and is exactly what I want to continue doing for them.

Many fans have started shouting the praises of the players and have been talking about how the team had arrived to their expectations. In your opinion as the match on the field of play, has the team arrived at the level you all expect?

I believe that though we are not up to the target yet, I will say that we are doing well. Taking you to the Ashgold match, it was clear that we played well just that we lacked the firepower upfront to bang in the goals. Nathaniel Asamoah’s two goals have shown that we can do better than we currently are.

The team now plays as a solid team with the determination of each player to shine and cover for the other. It is now a common sight in our matches to see everyone of us running into space to give the one on the ball options to chose from.

There were reports in the past that players belonged to factions in the team. Can you tell us which faction you belonged to?

Incidentally, factionalisms are common in every human institution. In our team, it normally is about the old and the new players. I never belonged to any faction in the team. My pre-occupation was Kotoko and Kotoko so any other factionalism might have happened at my wrong side of view.

Is factionalism good in a football team? If no, how can it be curbed?

Factionalism is never good in a football team. When it is not noticed and checked in time, the team will become the ultimate loser in the pawn game of the factions.

The way to curb this menace is for the team leadership to endeavour to make each one of us understand that we play for the common good of the team and so everything we do should be geared towards that.

I was happy to see Isaac Amoako go round our rooms to greet and inspire us before we drove off to the park to beat Wa All Stars. That action was a good one and we should all assist him for the team to be a winner.

We also need to have controller in the up-field players to compliment that of Isaac Amoako since he cannot be shouting from the goal post to say the strikers. When that is done, am sure some of the petty mistakes we make in our games would be no more.

Kotoko of late have been experiencing a goal drought. What do you think is accounting for that?

For starters, I will say impatience of the attackers is our bane. Understandably so with them, I have observed that they are mostly eager and in a haste to score so they end up wasting those chances.

With continuous training, I am sure the new players will get to understand the Kotoko philosophy and concept, and play accordingly. We all need to be patient with our strikers and they shall deliver.

Do you share the notion by others that superstition could be attributed for the turbulent times at Kotoko?

Am not a fan of superstition and so do not give credence to that. I believe in the superior God and so do not in any way want to glorify that.

There is a new development of University students and graduates emerging in Ghana football. Is it the new face of bigger things to come and to expect from graduates?

It was not like that in the past and I am happy that these are changing and I am part of the changing force. The new development is as a result of the fact that many more lecturers and schools appreciate the game of football.

They see our playing from their schools as a fine public relations for the schools and so they have started looking at playing students in positive light.

Using my case as an example, I did not have any difficulty from my lecturers, some of which were even willing to give me special lecture notes for me to catch up with my colleagues whenever football engagements take me out of town for a long time.

I believe students from even the basic schools should be encouraged to start playing for professional clubs whilst still playing. The situation where people choose football over education to the extent of dropping out of school should stop.

Having graduated and your National Service almost completed, what do you intend to do with your certificate?

For now, it is going to be football until such a time that I would not be able to kick anymore.

Along the lines, I would be endeavouring to do my masters so that I would be a better person for any work should my football work come to an end.

How do you feel when you have to go to class to teach after losing a match a day before?

During class time, I do not entertain talking about or performance or the team, unless it is a short period to share a joke during lectures, or that after school hours.

I must say that some of the students who for instance are not Kotoko fans can sometimes tease you, but I always take all those in good faith.

Finally, what advise do you have for fans and your colleagues?

To the fans, I love them all and appreciate the fight they did for my return. My advice to my colleagues goes especially to the new ones.

They should know by now that much expected of us as a team but that should also not put us in a situation of stress.

We should all look at our contribution to the general good of the club and not our individual egos. We are a team and must do everything together as such.