Muniru Sulley has left Kotoko
November 2, 2020, Kumasi Asante Kotoko announced that it has signed midfielder Muniru Sulley on a two-year deal.
Fast forward to January 22, 2021, and Kotoko and Muniru have both ‘mutually terminated’ the contract that was signed barely three months ago.
In the sporting world, particularly football circles, contract terminations are not unusual, and in the case of Muniru, contract termination has become part of his career.
However, the issue that has raised eyebrows about the deal is Muniru’s departing or ‘thank you’ letter to Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
In his letter, Muniru singled out Kotoko CEO, Nana Yaw Amponsah for praise for agreeing to take him on and giving him a place to train and keep fit.
He then drops a hint of an arrangement between his camp and Kotoko which meant the deal was not two years and that he was using Kotoko to keep fit and market himself following his failure to secure a deal in Europe during the summer transfer window.
“When the call came for me to serve this club although for a short period between the European transfer window, I welcomed it wholeheartedly and I am glad to have served,” part of the statement reads.
He adds, ‘It is time for another European adventure and I thank management for staying true to their words and sticking to our initial agreement.”
For Kotoko fans, the only agreement they had with Muniru is that he is going to serve the club for two years and while it is normal for a clause that allows the player to leave when a good offer comes to be inserted in a contract, it is obvious, based on Muniru’s letter, that he had no long-term contract with Kotoko.
This assertion is backed by the club’s own announcement that in the three months Muniru spent with the club, not a penny was given to him as salary or bonus.
A journalist thinking aloud ????
— Owusu Bempah Ayala (@Akwasi_Ayala) January 22, 2021
•@AsanteKotoko_SC signed Muniru for 2 years? But here the player is referring to an initial agreement and management sticking to their word to him? What was the “agreement & word”?
•Did some1 bring in Muniru to “use” Kotoko get an European deal? pic.twitter.com/DUzDIvpCAu
