Former Asante Kotoko Communications Director Sarfo Duku says the club was right to appoint South African coach Eric Tinkler, arguing that expatriate managers can be better placed than local coaches to impose discipline and improve players’ attitudes.
Duku believes Ghanaian coaches can find it difficult to exercise authority because of their familiarity with players, personal relationships and the wider cultural expectations surrounding the team.
He was speaking to Nhyira FM about why he supported the appointment of Tinkler and the club’s director of football. Duku said the move was necessary after a period in which disciplinary problems affected the relationship between Asante Kotoko’s technical team and its players.
“So far I am impressed with the appointment of the director of football and the coach [Eric Tinkler]. I strongly advocated for the appointment of a foreign person to fill those gaps.
“In view of several disciplinary issues, I believed it was time for Kotoko to bring an expatriate for us to see if things would be done the same way, because, to be honest with you, things were not going well at a point between the technical team and the playing body, and I believed that we needed somebody who could change the attitude of the boys.
“You can’t rule out the issue of familiarity; you will not be surprised that local coaches have their boys, so it will be difficult, and also the way we do our recruitment, we allow them to bring their boys, and it’s a fact nobody can deny,” he added.
Duku’s comments centre on the influence that close connections between coaches and players can have within Ghanaian football. In his view, those relationships may make it harder for local managers to enforce strict standards or take firm action when required.
He also pointed to the recruitment process, saying coaches can sometimes be involved in bringing players they already know. That familiarity, he argued, can complicate attempts to create a disciplined squad and maintain consistent standards across the team.
Asante Kotoko will begin their 2026/27 Ghana Premier League campaign under Tinkler with a home match against newly promoted Debibi United.
The appointment of the South African is therefore set to be tested at the start of the new league season, as the club seeks to address the disciplinary and attitude concerns highlighted by Duku while preparing for its opening fixture.
Duku’s backing follows Asante Kotoko’s decision to make changes to its football leadership, including the appointment of a director of football and Tinkler as head coach. He said he had strongly advocated bringing in an expatriate to fill those roles and assess whether a different approach could improve the relationship between the technical staff and the playing squad.
