By: Jerome Otchere

Date: 21-06-11

Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Circles Council (GARCC), Edmund Ackah and the National Circles Council spokesman, Nana Kwame Dankwa have urged supporters of Kumasi Asante Kotoko to exercise restraint concerning their incessant appeals to management not to transfer key players in the current team.

According to the Circle leaders, putting too much pressure on the leadership of the club regarding player transfers and recruitments would not serve the interest of Kotoko.

Edmund Ackah said the leadership of Kotoko has been working diligently on matters of player recruitment and transfer adding that the right thing for supporters to do is to rally behind them as duly carry out their mandate.

He said there is a committee in place which is cautiously executing the task handed them, continuing that that committee needs every Kotoko supporter’s backing and not excessive pressure to do one thing or the other.

“Issues of player transfers have been dominating discussions among Kotoko fans recently. It is even assuming a disturbing dimension. Some supporters are putting pressure on management not to sell key players in the team. However, I believe management has good reasons to sell players” explained the Circles chairman".

The news that Kotoko intends to sell a number of its key players like Ahmed Toure and Nathaniel Asamoah has not gone down well many followers of the club. Most of the fans have been expressing strong fears that Kotoko might not secure the services of such quality players again if it allows the present crop of players to leave.

Last Wednesday at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium, after Kotoko had beaten Medeama 2-1 in the Glo Premier League play-off match, most of the fans that mobbed strikers Ahmed Toure and Nathaniel Asamoah worriedly pleaded with the two potent attackers not to leave.

But in a reaction to that development on Fabulous Hour, the hour-long Kotoko radio show on Accra based Hot FM last Thursday; Edmund Ackah disagreed with the plea of the supporters.

He stressed that it is important for Kotoko fans to understand management’s stance on the transfer of striker Ahmed Toure, for example.

“We cant force him and the other players to stay and play till their contracts run out but will that not be to the disadvantage of Kotoko” asked Ackah who doubles as a Media Assistant in the Office of the Executive Chairman, Dr. K. K. Sarpong.

“We should take our time. Player negotiations are now more sophisticated. It is all about money. At the moment Kotoko is not financially strong.

Why should we fault any decision to sell some of our good players with the view of getting funds to recruit equally good ones?” he asked. “I will urge our supporters to seek correct information on anything they do not understand concerning these issues rather than simply calling on management not to not sell any player” advised the Circles Chairman.

Another panelist on the show Nana Kwame Dankwa, the National Circles Council spokesman also appealed to supporters of the club to accept that management no matter the present financial strength of the club would recruit good players ahead of next season continuing that until the Awal Mohammed, Michael Akuffu, Yaw Frimpong, Ahmed Toure and Nathaniel Asamoah were recruited in January not many people believed that management could bring those players. Let us have confidence in Dr. Sarpong and his team; they will deliver” said Nana Kwame.