Kotoko place Ablordey on gardening leave – report

Footy-ghana.com can confirm that Asante Kotoko’s team manager, Godwin Ablordey, has been placed on gardening leave by the club for perceived disloyalty.

According to our sources, Ablordey is being accused by the Opoku Nti-led management of disloyalty after he was reported to have met with the club’s former Administrative Manager, Benjamin Nti.

Ablordey has finished serving a 10-match ban for verbal and physical assault on match officials during a match against Heart of Lions in June 2014, but has still not been allowed on the bench to resume his duties by the club.

The former club captain has thus not been on the team’s technical bench for the last five games since serving his ban and footy-ghana.com can confirm that the management of the club has asked him to stay away from the bench indefinitely for issues of trust.

Footy-ghana.com investigations reveal that the Opoku Nti-led administration has a deep-seated mistrust for any person that worked with the previous regime headed by Dr. Kofi Kodua Sarpong and as a result, when management received the report that Ablordey had met with Nti, it was interpreted to be an act of disloyalty.

Footy-ghana.com sources however reveal that Ablordey only consulted Nti over a land issue, and the two men were in discussions over the matter at the Kumasi office of the Lands Commission, where Nti works, when they were spotted.

Our sources reveal that this is the second time that such an incident has occured, after then defender Kwabena Adusei had also gone to consult Nti over a land issue, but was accused of disloyalty after he was spotted at the Lands Commission and thus omitted from the club's squad that drew 0-0 with Hearts of Oak in Kumasi last season.

Footy-ghana.com understands that another former Asante Kotoko player, Prince Adu Poku was been asked to act as the team manager until further notice, whilst Ablordey will continue to draw his salary without the added allowances accruing from being on the bench of the club during matches.