Former Asante Kotoko communications director Sarfo Duku has praised the club’s board for terminating the contracts of four players, saying his previous administration did not have the courage to take similar action.
Luv Sports checks indicate that Asante Kotoko have parted company with striker Kwame Poku, winger Elvis Kyei Baffour, left-back Francis Acquah and goalkeeper Benjamin Twum.
The club has not publicly explained why the four players have left. However, Duku believes disciplinary concerns may have played a role in the board’s decision.
Speaking exclusively to Luv FM in Kumasi, Duku said the former Kotoko administration had faced comparable problems but failed to respond firmly enough.
He admitted that the failure to act decisively had affected the club, while backing the current board for making what he described as difficult but necessary choices.
“Let me admit that it wasn’t the best. I strongly believe that, we should have taken some bold decision to ensure the best of discipline in the team but at a point, we were not men enough to take those bold decision and it also affected the club.
“I am aware of the bold decisions they have taken [parting ways with new players]. It’s something we should have done at a point in time but because of the way we have been brought up [we couldn’t].
“We had a terrible season though we started so well. You cannot talk about the playing body without talking about the technical handlers because I think their tactics might have not worked.
“But to the extent that things didn’t work, you cannot put the blame squarely on the players even management had a part to play, it means we also didn’t recruit the best for the club, we have to admit,” he concluded.
Duku’s comments place responsibility for Kotoko’s disappointing campaign beyond the players alone. Although he acknowledged that the squad had not performed as hoped, he also pointed to the contribution of the technical team and management.
He said tactical decisions may not have produced the required results, while the club’s recruitment should also be examined when assessing why the season fell short.
Kotoko, known as the Porcupine Warriors, had started the campaign positively but ultimately endured what Duku described as a terrible season. His assessment was that the playing body could not be judged in isolation from the work of the technical handlers.
The former communications director also accepted that the previous management carried part of the responsibility because it had not assembled the strongest possible squad for the club.
His endorsement of the latest departures therefore represents both support for the current board and an admission that similar disciplinary decisions should have been made during his administration.
The four contract terminations are yet to be accompanied by an official explanation from Asante Kotoko, leaving the precise reasons for the players’ exits undisclosed. Duku’s remarks, however, suggest that maintaining discipline was an important consideration in the board’s actions.
