Kotoko Warned Of Fine Pre-Season "Curse" - Jabir

In-form Kumasi Asante Kotoko have been tipped by bookmakers,sports pundit and neutral football fans to mount a strong start to the commencement of the Ghana premier league for the 2015/16 season or even reclaim the title they lost to regional rivals Obuasi Ashagold SC.

 

The 23-times Ghana premier league champions have been in excellent form with even the division of the team for pre-season friendlies in Libya and the other team playing and winning the maiden GHALCA G6 trophy couldn’t expose the weakness in team and the Kotoko fans and management have found it difficult to hide the joy of quality that has all of a sudden growth of player quality within the team.

 

But Former Kumasi Asante Kotoko player and coach, Malik Jabir has cautioned his old club and the fans to be cautious in their immediate celebration of league victory without kicking a ball yet as that might be a fluke to a disastrous season ahead.

 

The Ghana U-23 coach in an interview with Kumasi based Boss fm, said, “pre-season friendlies can’t be a yardstick for Kotoko to claim league favourite tag. Those claiming the Kotoko team has excelled in pre-season so automatically will win the league is a none starter as quite often good pre-season doesn’t warrant league success.”

 

 

“With 5-games played into the season and the corresponding results then make a clear and an exact picture of what the Kotoko team bring into the new season will be visible to all. As is the challenge for many Ghanaian clubs, goalscoring will also count – in Kotoko’s case if the goals flow from the start of the season then we can conclude the current Kotoko team is a finished product but until then I beg to differ, he added.

 

 

Kotoko were scheduled to play Nigerian side, Ifeanyi Ubah in an international pre-season match at the Baba Yara sports stadium but the game has been cancelled.

Kotoko Warned Of Fine Pre-Season "Curse" - Jabir

Verdict: Kotoko Should Not Have Played Jagodina

Evidence For Kotoko To Call Off Jagodina Game Were ‘Clear’

Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s 80th anniversary game against Jagodina has already been honoured but the commentaries on the match, it’s organisation and the Serbians abysmal preparations towards the match still hovers around.

 

Former deputy Youth and Sports minister O.B. Amoah, Some Football pundits and fans of Kotoko have called on the Ghana football Association to investigate and possibly sanction the organisers (Pacific Football Limited) of the game for poor organisation and preparation of Kotoko’s 80th anniversary game.

Kotoko PR team member, Jerome Otchere

Kotoko’s opponent, arrived from Serbia with less than 24 hours left on the clock before the match and without first team regular players and football kits. The European club had to name some players from clubs here in Ghana on their bench just to make up the numbers.

Not surprising with such poor preparations and late arrival, Kotoko thrashed them 5 – goals to nil. Coach Vladica Milanovic in his post match interview in a disguised manner might have conceded they should not have played the game stating, “we got here late and were very tired. Stress got the best part of us and that cost us to lose heavily to Kotoko”.

 

In a radio interview with Asempa fm, seasoned journalist with Kotoko’s official mouthpiece, Kotoko Express,  said, “to organise an anniversary game and end in a disaster is a worst decision than not organising at all.

He continued, “the situation and system Kotoko found themselves in contributed to the poor organiisation of the game and no one (can) on those basis can blame Kotoko.

“If Jagodina travelled from Serbia to Ghana with only 11 players how do you blame Kotoko?”

Verdict: Kotoko Should Not Have Played Jagodina