Why AshantiGold O4 parted ways with Karim Zito and his assistants

AshantiGold O4 CEO Edward Akwasi Akuoku has explained that the club’s decision to part ways with head coach Karim Zito and his assistants was due to persistent friction within the technical team rather than concerns about their competence or performance.

Akuoku said the disagreements between Zito and his assistant, Coach Ernest, had repeatedly disrupted the working relationship needed for the team to function effectively.

Speaking about the decision, the CEO dismissed suggestions that the coaches were dismissed because they were incompetent, insisting that both had qualities the club valued.

“It’s not as if you are not competent. Nobody can say that Coach Karim Zito is not competent. You are one of the best coaches you can have in camp. Coach Ernest is fantastic when it comes to youth development and youth football,” he said.

According to Akuoku, the club has made several attempts to resolve the differences, including exploring arrangements that would separate the two coaches and allow them to work in different capacities.

He recalled that Zito had previously been offered the opportunity to serve as technical director, while Ernest could move to the club’s first division in professional sports.

However, the proposed arrangement did not materialise, as both coaches preferred to continue working together.

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Akuoku said the friction resurfaced whenever the two were expected to work together, prompting him to invite them to his office for a meeting before the club issued its official statement announcing the separation.

He explained that the discussion was conducted with the coaches’ involvement and that the decision was reached through a mutual understanding.

“The friction between you is actually obstructing your performance. Not because you are incompetent, but it’s just because you need that synergy, and we are lacking it. And so if that is what’s happening, please, let’s part ways,” Akuoku recounted, telling the coaches.

Despite the separation, the AshantiGold O4 CEO expressed the club’s willingness to work with both coaches again in the future, stressing that the decision should not be interpreted as a judgment on their coaching abilities.

“On any day, FC AshantiGold would love to work with these coaches at any point in time in the future,” he added.

PAH/EB

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