$240,000 fine causes division in Kotoko, exposes administrative mishaps

A $240,000 fine imposed on Kumasi Asante Kotoko by FIFA has exposed deep cracks and administrative inefficiencies in the club.

Kotoko have been ordered to pay the amount to Tunisian club Esperance after they were found guilty of breaching transfer rules in their signing of Emmanuel Clottey five years ago.

The instruction from the Swiss-based organization has led to a clash between the current and previous management under whose administration the player was signed.

The CEO of the club in 2015, Opoku Nti has failed to accept responsibility, blaming the current Executive Chairman for the situation.

Opoku Nti argues that the issue at hand was included in the handing over notes he presented to the new administration when he was taking over.

He insists that if the current officials did their job as expected the case wouldn’t have exploded to its current state.

“It’s mandatory for any outgoing management to do a handing over to the incoming administration so I did as it is. George Kennedy and I gave the handing over notes to Dr Kyei. Clottey’s issue was part including Dr Kwaku Frimpong’s debt.

“I will be disappointed to hear from Dr Kwame Kyei saying he wasn’t aware of Clottey’s issue. Dr Kyei never called me on the phone before. There are a few times I tried calling him but with no answer," he added.

A member of that administration has similarly lashed out at current Executive Chairman, Kwame Kyei for not following a payment arrangement that had already been prepared by his predecessor.

Edmund Ackah holds that Kyei’s disregard for advice on the legal issue is what must be blamed for the fine.

"I am not in management but I trust the rest there can do the job. They are more than capable but if only he(Dr Kwame Kyei) will listen. In August 2019, Esperance wrote to Kotoko giving us their account details to pay them $30,000 because we owe them $180,000 and they also owe us $150,000 but the chairman said he will not pay because he didn't sign Emmanuel Clottey.

He added: "Nobody is causing financial loss to Kotoko or Dr Kwame Kyei but the Executive Chairman himself(Dr. Kwame Kyei). He single-handedly contacted Zachariassen, lodged him at a hotel at East Legon before handing him over to George Amoako and Nana Kwame Dankwah.

But the club’s current CEO, George Amoako who was appointed by Kwame Kyei maintains that the Opoku Nti-led team ought to be bastardized for ‘lacking information’ and exhibiting gross ignorance on transfer matters.

In what has turned out to be a blame game, Amoako in an interview with Light FM chided his predecessors for being ‘careless and negligent’ in the signing of Clottey.