THE AXING OF BASHIR HAYFORD -- DID THE MANAGEMENT OF KOTOKO GOOF?

There has been interesting arguments across sporting circles all over the world about the impact of technical men or better still coaches on the performance of their various clubs. Whiles some are of the view that, coaches are just mere team leaders who take undue credit when ever their clubs excels, others also argue that the techniques in coaching are increasingly becoming more important to the advancement of the game due to the scientific nature sports in general is taking.

Kumasi Asante kotoko Fc, like any other club globally, specifically outlines long term and short term goals which they expect their coaches to achieve. The issue of management members purchasing players for coaches, which is mostly the case in this part of our world, vis-Ã -vis the targets to be achieved by these same coaches is an issue worth analyzing. That in all sincerity is not the right thing to do.

During the later part of the 2006/2007 premier league season, then sponsored by onetouch, coach Bashir hayford was employed to steer the affairs of Asante kotoko.He took over from an expatriate coach Telat Uzum,from Turkey, who could not solve the myriads of problems left by coach “hene” Afrane.Those were the days of konogo “waterloo” park.

At the end of that particular season, a major reshuffling took place in the kotoko team which led to the transfer of some senior players. The likes of Michael Asante, Micheal ofosu Appiah and Nana Arhin Duah were some of the casualties. These senior players were accused of not being committed to the course of the club.Relaively young players who were seen to be hungry for success was introduced. Some of these young players are Eric Bekoe, Harrison Afful, Samuel Inkoom, Ofosu Appiah and so on and so forth. This move was taken with a pinch of salt by most kotoko fans. However the 2007/2008 season turned out to be one of the best seasons for the porcupine family in years. With Eric Bekoe emerging as the goal king of the season, a feet last chucked by a Kotoko player in about 15 years. The team won the league trophy, the top-4 compettion, the president’s cup among other trophies.

Strangely, Bashir Hayford was relieved of his post as the head of the technical bench raising a lot of eyebrows. The explanation that was given later was that, they needed a more experienced coach who could annex the Caf champions’ league which has eluded the team for over 2 decades. Was it the case of Vicente Del Bosque, formerly of Real Madrid who was sacked after winning the 2002/2003 uefa champions league but failing to annex the domestic league? Or was it because he did not succumb to the perceived interference by some management members of the team, as was peddled around?

Perhaps it was setting much higher targets, that is, winning the Caf champions league as was reiterated by the “5 wisemen”, which made the management part ways with coach Bashir.

Eyimba’s Belgian expatriate coach, Maurice Kollman was charged to take team kotoko to the “promise land”. Coach Kollman’s tenure saw kotoko expending their biggest purse on the transfer market in years. There were so many expectations, judging by the fact that he had a season earlier taken Eyimba to the semifinals of the Caf champion’s league.

After loosing to sporting Mirren and drawing with Brekum Chelsea, both league debutants, one could expect nothing but constant pressure on the coach. As one ardent kotoko fan said after their lose in Kumasi, “the pain of loosing to Hearts of Oak at the Baba Yara stadium is like hearing of the death of a friend”. This coach who had one of his major task as salvaging kotoko at the hands of their arch rivals, Accra hearts of oak, lost bitterly in front of a record home crowd. That was kotoko’s second lose to Hearts in a league match at the Baba Yara stadium in 10years.Sadly 6 soccer fans lost their lives, “may their souls rest in perfect peace”.

Interestingly, a few days after this painful defeat to Hearts, Maurice kollman’s appointment was mutually terminated. As if that was not funny enough, Isaac Opeele Boateng of Tema youth Fc, who had being brought in the week prior to the hearts match to assist, was tasked to take over as the substantive coach. Can any of the “5wisemen”tell the world that Coach Opeele Boateng is more experienced than Bashir Hayford?

I couldn’t agree more to an assertion made by a friend of the ink fraternity that, “the dismissal of Bashir Hayford from Kotoko, was the worst sports decision in the year of 2008”.

If it is true that some management members of the team “showed him where power lies” as was rumoured, they should begin to bow their heads in shame. They have done the team more harm than good.

For the simple reason of continuity and the fact that Bashir Hayford performed very well, his dismissal was a terrible blunder by his employers.

This is not to take anything away from Opeele Boateng, who prefers to be called the “special one”. I rather pitty him as to how he will be able to meet not only the targets set by the management, but again deal with one of the most controversial and demanding supporters in African football today. The porcupine family can sing praises on you today and shout crucify him the next day. This is a little piece of advice for Opeele Boateng if he is reading.

Quite a number of concerns have been raised about the competence of Coach Opeele Boateng which I personally do not second. My reason is the fact that he is spearheading a new generation of young coaches in the country and also epitomizes the very core of science, which is the drive of modern football. Therefore the least we as Ghanaians can do for him and a few others coming up in the system is to encourage them. I believe he has the right mental attitude to succeed at Kotoko.

However, if he is not allowed to have a “freehand” to operate and most importantly, enough time to mould the current crop of players into his own “pot” to work with, then your guess would be as perfect as mine, “he will be axed, and the woes of kotoko will be everything but over”.

owoahene acheampong