By: Jerome Otchere

Date: 05-08-11

Executive Chairman Dr. K. K. Sarpong has described as “fantasy” reports that Kumasi Asante Kotoko has sold more than half of its players that embarked on the comprehensive 12-day tour of the Eastern European country, Serbia. According to him, players who attract lucrative contracts or offers will be released but that does not mean half of the team will be leaving.

“This is fantasy! How do you expect that we sell half of the team?” he asked. “Who is going to buy any way? We are going to sell players who may get contracts that we think are lucrative. If they are not lucrative, we will not sell them” said Dr. Sarpong in an interview with Kotoko Express at the Kotoka International Airport after the team’s arrival on Thursday night.

Some media reports last Friday and even days before Kotoko returned alleged that 13 players have been sold and that more were on their way out. Other reports further indicated that Coach Bogdan Korak who did not return with the team has also been sacked but the Dr. K. K. Sarpong debunked those reports including the allegation that the tour of Serbia was chiefly to sell players.

“Obviously, the commercial angle will be promoted well after this trip. The tour formed part of our pre-season training. We have exposed our players outside; we have exposed the Ghana brand; the Kotoko brand. We had a lot of scouts and coaches watching our matches” said the Executive Chairman. On Coach Bogdan Korak, Dr. Sarpong explained that the Serbian trainer asked for a ten-day break and that was granted maintaining that the coach has not been fired.

“We have not fired him. He is on holidays. His family is there. He asked for 10 days and I have granted that 10 days for him. There is nothing more” he stated. Touching on why five junior players that were part of the contingent did not return, Dr. K. K. Sarpong disclosed that the youth players were left behind as part of a scheme aimed at properly developing their talent.

“We left five of our junior players there. It is a scheme. It is a new model we have introduced to get them trained abroad for them to develop faster. So that when they are sold we can also get something reasonable out of it. Those are the ones we can talk about. Otherwise, everybody in the team is back” ended the Kotoko leader.