Kumasi Asante Kotoko head coach Eric Tinkler says the standard of football pitches in Ghana is not up to standard. [Scroll down to watch video]
He said this in an interaction with the press after his side beat Kpando Heart of Lions 1-0 in a pre-season contest at the University of Ghana Stadium.
Tinkler was appointed as Kotoko head coach earlier this offseason after the Porcupine Warriors’ disastrous 2025-2026 campaign that had Kotoko finish eighth in the Ghana Premier League standings.
A member of South Africa’s 1996 Africa Cup of Nations winning squad, Tinkler has served as head coach of Orlando Pirates and Super Sport United and pointed to the poor nature of pitches in Ghana in comparison to South Africa.
“It hasn’t been easy obviously conditions are very different from what you find in South Africa.”
“As you are well aware, the standard of the pitches are not great which obviously makes it much harder for the players.”
Inusah Adams wins it with a brilliant low curler in the second half. The extended forty-five minutes for endurance purposes ended goalless.#UnitedinHeritageDrivenbyExcellence pic.twitter.com/4yCB1ANDT1
— Asante Kotoko SC – 2X CAF CL Winners🥇 (@AsanteKotoko_SC) August 18, 2026
“We want to try and play a possession-based game and on pitches like this, it becomes very very difficult. What we can’t do is [to] use it as an excuse, it’s our reality and we have to adapt” Tinkler said.
🎥 “Conditions here are very different from those in South Africa. The standard of pitches in Ghana is not great, making it harder for players to play.” — Asante Kotoko head coach Eric Tinkler.#CitiSports pic.twitter.com/r6bYB1N8EG
— Citi Sports (@CitiSportsGHA) August 18, 2026
