Sports News of Friday, 2 November 2018

Source: footballmadeinghana.com

Kotoko has to do better in Africa this year – Godred Yeboah

Coach Akunnor will lead Kotoko in their African campaign Coach Akunnor will lead Kotoko in their African campaign

The Porcupine Warriors have boosted their playing squad with eleven new signings within a month after appointing former Hearts of Oak and Dreams FC trainer Charles Kwablan Akonnor as head coach to replace Paa Kwesi Fabin who resigned from the role and former defender Godfred Yeboah has challenged the club to do better in Africa this year.

Asante Kotoko reached the Confederation Cup final in the maiden edition of the competition of 2004 but lost to the trophy to sworn rivals Hearts of Oak. The club under the tutelage of Bashiru Hayford managed to reach the group stages of the 2008 Confederation Cup but could not advance from a very tough group that included Etoile du Sahel, Al-Merrikh and JS Kabylie.

The team of Steven Polack won the 2017 FA Cup and entered the 2018 campaign but once again failed to break the recent preliminary round curse in Africa as Congo’s CARA Brazzaville eliminated the Ghanaian representatives.

But former Kotoko defender Gofred Yeboah believes C.K Akonnor who has signed the likes of Caf champions league winner Yaw Frimpong and former Horoya AC atatcker Naby Keita Laye cannot disappoint this time.

“Kotoko has suffered too many disappointments in Africa recently and mostly they happen in front of our home fans in Kumasi but as for this year they have to do better” Godred Yeboah told FootballmadeinGhana.com in an exclusively interview on Friday.

“We are begging the team to do well this time. C.K Akonnor is a top coach and George Amoako was there during Herbert Mensah’s time when Kotoko was participating in the deeper ends of Africa competitions. I believe these two are experienced and quality names and they must be able to put things in place for the team to do well” Yeboah explained.