Former Asante Kotoko head coach Bashir Hayford has backed Prosper Narteh Ogum for branding some of his players politicians.

Ogum said on Wednesday some of his experienced players are not performing well and have resorted to use their friends in the media to get them playing time.

Reacting to the comments that have started conversations on social media, Hayford said everyone is a politician so the players are also politicians.

“There is nothing wrong with what coach Prosper Ogum said about Kotoko players being politicians,” Hayford told Amina FM.

“Everyone is a politician, some of the players have friends in the media, and others are club fans who believe that their favorite player should be selected in a game. However, these individuals should consider whether or not the players are prepared to play.

“Controlling a player who has been in a team for a long time becomes more difficult. I've been in this situation before, when I sacked 7 players from the team, and people didn't understand what I was doing. When you keep them, it becomes difficult controlling them because of the pressure from their media friends.

“Politics is an internal thing in the team, and the players are aware of it; the coach must rather keep them under control.”