The Chief Executive Officer of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Nana Yaw Amponsah, has revealed that the management of the club disagreed with the decision to terminate the contract of former Head Coach, Seydou Zerbo.
Although the management initially had a positive opinion of Zerbo’s performance, the club was left with no choice but to let the Burkina Coach go due to mounting pressure from fans and threats received from specific Board members.
The catalyst for this decision was a surprising 2-0 loss suffered by the team in a home game against Medeama SC.
“If you ask any member of the management, we were not happy about him leaving because we believed we still had a chance in the league with him,” Nana Yaw Amponsah told Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM.
“Given the limited time left, bringing in an external coach would not have a significant impact if the officiating continued as it had been.
“There was a majority of supporters who wanted him [Zerbo] out. I recall our match against Hearts of Oak in Accra, where I had to intervene to prevent an attack on him.
“Even some people I know were involved, but that is not relevant now. At one point, there were demands from the Board, and I state this on record, that either the coach goes or the CEO goes.”.
Seydou Zerbo was appointed back in August 2022 as the replacement for title-winning Head Coach, Prosper Narteh Ogum, who resigned from his position prior to the start of the 2022/23 season.
The 59-year-old amassed 34 points for Kotoko before his sacking after winning 9 league matches, drawing 7, and losing 6 at Kotoko.
“We did not succumb to pressure to let him go, no. As the management, we were aware of the club’s situation and what he was capable of,” Nana Yaw Amponsah added.
“However, we received strong intelligence that some individuals had planned to attack him at the training ground, similar to what happened to Matic at Hearts of Oak.
“Such an incident had previously occurred at Kotoko, and we believed that allowing it to happen would not be in the best interest of the club, especially considering the club’s image.
“When we discussed this with him, he also mentioned having conversations with his embassy here (Burkina Faso Embassy), and they reiterated the same concerns.
“So, we felt that if some people were going to attack the coach at the training ground and tarnish the club’s reputation, it would be best to spare ourselves that trouble. If he is falling out of favor, we should save ourselves that trouble.”
Kotoko, under Zerbo, were eliminated from the 2022/2023 CAF Champions League by Burkina side, RC Kadiogo.
The Porcupine Warriors also crashed out of the MTN FA Cup at the hands of Aduana Stars at the Last 16 stage.