Former Asante Kotoko chief executive, Herbert Mensah has indicated that although he is no more CEO of the club, he is desired to see the club succeed. He spoke to BBC?s Yaw Ampofo-Ankrah. When I was much younger I remember being enthralled at the writings of Professor Adu Boahene.
I was one of his favourites when he would come and visit my family in Accra and I learnt and adopted the term ?you contompiat? from him. History is immensely interesting and I believe should be used as a benchmark for progress! The record keeping of historians lets us know what happened in the past and was both achieved and what should be avoided if we want to live in a better society today and in the future. The history of Kotoko in times of change has not always been as smooth as it should have been and the consequences have at times been diabolical for Kotoko. When I came to seat in 1999 I made it a point not to blame the previous regime for the ?mess? at the time. I am not one of the proponents who try to justify their own inabilities by blaming their predecessors.
Right now we all have choices with respect to our positions and I only hope and pray that we remember who or what it is that we really respect and love! That for me is Kotoko and nothing else! I believe that in 2003 we must try and be different. We must not fight. We must move along and ahead. We must continue to love and embrace Kotoko and no individual! We must look at what has been done and simply accept matters in order to move forward. If we have a parent who shows signs of senility we must exhibit patience and love in order for respect and peace to remain and the same can be said of a mischievous child!
I want to make sure that I and all those who support me are different. I want all of the family to remain united in a way and manner that never occurred when I took office but in a way that will benefit Kotoko. As my father has often said to me in light of the current changes.? I want to be different. I always have. I want to position myself in such a way as to ensure that Kotoko remains at peace and can move ahead. I believe that I have already set the platform for success and the summit is nigh.
Kotoko can reach heaven this year. My desire to see Kotoko succeed can be seen in actions
- 1 I have not left the club with the ?cards? of any players
2. I have not taken the jerseys of the players
3. I have not sought to make demands on Kotoko
4. I am encouraging the IMC and wishing them well in their tasks ahead. I have not attempted to influence negatively any sponsorship package that has been negotiated on behalf of Kotoko. I have not spoken with any player or staff member of Kotoko since I left Kumasi.
Continuity and Change Change must never be assumed to be bad. Resistance to change is inevitable and there will be some that will never accept change. Over the four years I was at the helm, I realised that there were those who would not accept my presence or my programme and who were averse to everything. Change tends to frighten people and egos tend to become dented and misplaced. Those who resist bad change are justified and those who resist ?good? change will always be judged in future.
To say this is natural may be obvious but the key is to always remain focused on the bigger picture. We as Ghanaians people are agrarian by nature and we therefore invariably think about our immediate families and ourselves before we think about our larger communities. Change is never about people. Change is about the institution and countries in which we live. It is only when we try to claim ownership of something, which has the properties of air that we sometimes become confused. Our singular decisions as supporters, players or interested parties must always and only be based on what is ultimately good for the institution.
The Kotoko family is much larger than I imagined when I first arrived. It is much more diverse than imaginable with supporters from all continents and from all ethnic backgrounds. I fully respect their commitment, their love, their passion and their sorrow. The humility that I derived over the four years emanated from appreciating the importance of these various groups of people. After all without them I would never have been successful with my programme of change for Kotoko.
I have been extremely touched by their heart wrenching feelings and levels of support! Now that there has been change it is important that it is accepted and supported in some form. After all it is Kotoko that is supported and respected and no one human being. Kotoko needs to be loved and further nurtured. It has come a long way and is now healthy enough to continue the last few steps to the very top. It can only do that with the support and love of supporters no matter their ethnic background, race, religion or sex!
In the meantime, Until we come to an agreement with respect to our web site, we shall still be providing information through the Sports Express for the many Kotoko supporters both inside and outside of Ghana. The development and funding of both the site and the Kotoko Express were at my expense and it is only natural that others may now wish to come to a resolution and possibly take ownership of the same. Unfortunately we did not acquire it at zero cost!
I shall be staying in football in some capacity. I shall never do anything that will harm Kotoko but I do intend to stay in sports. I first involved myself in sports in the mid nineties when I captained the Ghana rugby team to victories in tournaments in Ivory Coast and then put together the biggest soccer fundraisers for Max Brito, Ali Jarrah, Shamo Quaye, Accra Sports Stadium etc etc. Ghanaian soccer and sports needs some assistance and I intend at some point to get involved.
I have received many offers from many quarters! I will soon decide what to do in the interests of football and sports in Ghana. There is so much to do after all I once used to be involved in boxing! ?Most people are thermometers that record or register the temperature of majority opinion, not thermostats that transform and regulate the temperature of society. ? Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Fabulous ? the greatest!
