Oti Akenteng To Travel With Medeama

Sportscrusader.com can confirm that veteran coach, Oti Akenteng will assist in the technical responsibilities of Medeama in their CAF Confederation Cup match against Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Mauve and Yellows approached the veteran coach to assist in their next Africa campaign in South Africa, and he accepted to lead the club.

Medeama is expected to leave Ghana to South Africa, Pretoria, for the final round of the race to reach the money zone of the competition on Wednesday.

The game will be played on Saturday May 6.

Oti Akenteng To Travel With Medeama

Oti Akenteng, Didi Dramani Head To Italy June

Technical Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Francis Oti Akenteng and Coach Didi Dramani will arrive in Italy in June to attend the Ghana Soccer Association Festival (GSAF).

Oti Akenteng and Didi Dramani, highly rated coaches in Ghana were invited by the organisers of the event to offer technical advice and look out for potential future talents.

Mark Ansu, President of the Ghana Sports Association Italy (GSA) disclosed this in an exclusive with Nkwa Radio Italy/Favans Sportsz.

“We (GSA) wrote to the GFA inviting them for the tournament and they have agreed to send three representatives including Oti Akenteng and Didi Dramani,” Mr Ansu said.

“We have also invited scouts of some of the biggest clubs here in Italy and across Europe and they have confirmed they will be here,” he added.

Players between the ages of 14-22 and of Ghanaian descent are qualified to participate in the soccer fiesta.

This year’s competition is scheduled to take place in the Italian city of Modena between June 28 – July 2.

Oti Akenteng, Didi Dramani Head To Italy June

It"s Too Early To Put Pressure On Coaches - Oti Akenteng

Coach Francis Oti Akenteng, Technical Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has called on clubs and fans to ease expectations and be reasonable when putting managers under pressure, because its too early in the season.

The Ghana Premier League saw its first managerial casualty in match week 2 after Aduana Stars coach, Nurudeen Ahmed resigned after failing to win any of the two games he over saw stating personal reasons for his departure.

Kotoko coach David Duncan and defending champion’s Ashgold Boss, Bashiru Hayford have also come under pressure mainly from fans who are struggling to understand their poor starts to the season.

Oti Akenten, who has vast years of coaching experience in the league knows how negative this pressure can be for a coach and a teams confidence hence the call for calm from fans especially as the league is only three weeks old.

He said, “Aduana contacted me on the resignation of coach Nurudeen Ahmed on my return to Ghana so immediately contacted him (the coach) and he confirmed his resignation. It is too early in the season to put the coaches under such pressure; for instance due to Hearts fine start to the season Kotoko fans are threatening David Duncan with a sack and as human as the coaches are they tend to feel the pressure.”

He added, “The league is becoming more competitive and as thus putting pressure on managers like Duncan and Hayford could affect them psychologically, nonetheless as mature as they are, I know they (coaches) can handle the early season storm,” he added.

It"s Too Early To Put Pressure On Coaches - Oti Akenteng

I Was Misquoted On Kenichi"s License - Oti Akenteng

Francis Oti Akenteng, technical director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has mentioned his statement on Kenichi Yatshusashi’s coaching licence has been misquoted.

 

Hearts of Oak three months ago confirmed the appointment of Japanese-American tactician as the new head coach under strange circumstances with many branding him as a physical education tutor and not a professional coach because of an alleged unqualified certificate but the club has denied the soft-spoken coach isn’t qualified.

 

According to the rules and regulations governing the game in Ghana, a coach needs a GFA/CAF licence A certificate or its equivalent to be able to manage a premier league club.   The technical director of the GFA has in a radio interview is reported to have mentioned his department will ensure the Japanese if is duly dealt with should he be working as a premier league coach without the right qualification.

 

But speaking exclusively to sportscrusader.com, Oti Akenteng said, “my answer has been misquoted and this baffles me when some Journalist do so. I was asked, with Kenichi’s fine start to life in the Ghana premier league what will be his sanction if he’s found to operate with a less qualification and I answered we will advise the premier league board (PLB) to take the necessary action.”

 

“This what all I  said and not that Kenichi is not qualified to coach in the premier league,” he added.

I Was Misquoted On Kenichi"s License - Oti Akenteng

"I"m in Love With Kenichi" - Oti Akenten

Ghana Football Association (GFA) Technical Director has professed his untainted love for Accra Hearts of Oak coach, Kenichi Yatshusashi.

The Japanese-American has started life well in the Ghana Premier League (GPL) to the surprise of his critics who tagged him to be the first managerial casualty of the season, but his passion to nurture young talents is what has caught the attention of Oti.

Speaking exclusively to sportscrusader.com, the former Hearts coach revealed that he was also skeptical when the club announced his appointment, but his record of developing young players aligns with his beliefs in the development of grass football made him fall for the coach.

He said, “Kenichi is doing well and what made me fall in love with him was information on his work done with developing youth football before his arrival in Ghana.”

“I saw him as my own, a developer of talents and it’s on this I want to meet him so Ghana can benefit from his philosophy.” He added.

"I"m in Love With Kenichi" - Oti Akenten

Grant Can"t Say GPL Lack Quality - Oti

Technical Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Francis Oti Akenteng says head coach of the senior national team, the Black Stars, Avram Grant enjoyed quality football last weekend.

Avram Grant arrived in Ghana in the early hours of Sunday and was at the Tema Sports Stadium to watch Inter Allies play Dreams FC in a match-day three encounter of the Ghana Premier League (GPL).

The two sides displayed quality football on the day as they shared the spoils after a 2-2 draw, and, Coach Oti Akenteng who was at the VIP section with the Israeli, believes Coach Grant was convinced that the GPL has quality players.

“I can tell you he (Avram Grant) witnessed a very good game of two tactically disciplined sides,” the veteran trainer told sportscrusader.com.

“I was very happy Avram Grant was present at the game because he can’t say we don’t have quality [players] in the league. The game was standard and matches up to European standards. The game lived up to expectation,” he noted.

Coach Oti Akenteng, who also serves on the Technical Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), indicated that Grant’s presence at local matches will improve the tendency of including outstanding local players into the Black Stars and spur others on to improve their game.

“In this regard, even if he fails to include a local player in the Black Stars call-up now, he will later consider good performers in future squads or ask his assistants to keep close monitoring of such players,” Coach Oti Akenteng said.

“His presence even motivated the boys to increase their output and I also understand it was included in the contract signed with the GFA that he ought to be present at our league games,” he stressed.

This is football, it’s not only about the Black Stars so once he is not on leave, there is always a duty for him to perform,” said Coach Oti Akenteng.

Grant Can"t Say GPL Lack Quality - Oti

Oti Akenteng Is Afraid Of... - Bashir Hayford

Ashanti Gold head coach Bashir Hayford says Ghana Football Association Technical Director Francis Oti Akenteng is afraid of approaching the FA to salaries of coaches handling the male / female junior national teams.

Coaches of the junior national teams has not been paid since September 2014, and Bashir Hayford, who headed the technical team of the Black Princess between September 2013 and July 2015, blames Oti Akenteng for not pushing for their monies.

He believes Oti Akenteng is meek to head the junior national team coaches at the FA.

“We want somebody to fight this thing for us. Our Technical Director is not fighting for us. He himself is afraid,” the former Kotoko coach said in an interview with Starr FM.

“I think when he hears it he will call me and I will put it straight to him. He is even afraid to air these views I am putting out now.

“Apart from the senior national team, none of them is paid. You ask them. I don’t think anybody who is patriotic will forget about incentives.

“You are patriotic so whatever is supposed to come to you to live, you will forget about it. It is unrealistic.” he said.

Oti Akenteng Is Afraid Of... - Bashir Hayford

FIFA U-17 World Cup Is For Dev"t Not ... - Oti Akenteng

Ghana Football Association technical director, Oti Akenteng has revealed the main purpose for which FIFA organised world cup at the U-17 was previously abused by some countries if not all.

 

The former Heart of Lions trainer was a member of the technical team that led Ghana in her last conquest with the Ghana Black Starlets squad at the Ecuador 1995 FIFA U17 world cup and knows better making such a candid opinion on what has been termed ‘age cheating’ at the youth level of world football.

 

Ghana’s national U17 team popularly known as the Black starlets was banned for a year after it emerged had fielded an ineligible player for an AFCON U17 qualifier against Cameroun. The use over-aged player got Ghana disqualified from the competition and had Cameroun reinstated.

Head coach of the Black Starlets, Paa Kwesi Fabian and Oti Akenteng are leading a team of other technical head as the search for the next crop of players to represent Ghana at the U17 continues.

As his previous experience with the national U17 team suggests, Oti Akenteng’s acknowledgement of there might have been some ineligible players involved with the U17 only confirms why the gobverning body of world football – FIFA is frowning hard on age cheating.

 

In an interview with Boss fm in Kumasi, Oti Akenteng said, “FIFA’s plan for the U-17 tournament is to help develop youth talent and not to win to witness who wins the trophy whether by hook or crook. The world cup competition at the youth level is a means to make the most out of the players who are deemed ‘raw’ talents” at that level of the game.”

 

“I believe in the development of 13/15-year old players over a period of 5-years, gather them for a competition at the youth stage and then they will grow into the other national teams as well than selecting over aged players to a U-17 world cup, win the trophy and then that’s all,” he added.

 

The technical team of the Black Starlets on Tuesday published the names of the 40 players selected for the Phase Two of the selection process at Ghanaian soccer school at Prampram.

FIFA U-17 World Cup Is For Dev"t Not ... - Oti Akenteng