FEATURE: Osei Kuffour vrs Kumasi Media

 

It’s either the new Asante Kotoko chairman decides never to listen to radio during his stewardship or lace his boots ready to receive punch lines from a section of the media in the garden city.

Kumasi as affectionately known to be the soccer capital of Ghana doesn’t joke with football. 60% of radio programming on the airwaves is dominated with sports shows which sums up how the city and the people regard sports especially football.

In Kumasi radio holds the highest percentage of news dissemination even though mediums like Television, the print media and the online media is gradually finding a firm grounds lately.

Running a sports program on a Kumasi radio has become like a national anthem of a pupil. With people  having a huge interest in sports, Radio Stations managers doesn’t have any choice but to give the people what they want and capitalize.

Kumasi Asante Kotoko being the biggest club in the city has also become a signature tune for all sports programs on Kumasi radio, a huge subject matter in the line up of every sports show in the garden city. Yes it maybe the fact that if you don’t talk Kotoko issues on your sports program it is likely your listenership base will hit rocks.

The supporters of Asante Kotoko are very demanding, results oriented and always never ready to compromise on anything meager. They are emotional with their club and always ready to express  dissatisfaction should anything go wrong they are always ready to express their frustration through  any means available to them. You can only expect the biggest medium where these fans express their exact anger.

In recent times Asante Kotoko has seen changes in it leadership drawing a close back, few to be mention is the Sylvester Asare Owusu’s administration to the Alhaji Inge’s formed Interim Management to the Dr KK Sarpong’s stewardship up onto Mr Opoku Nti’s era.

Past leaders who have managed this great club got their own share of a lash from the media in Kumasi especially the radio medium. From vilification to accusations are the core ingredients in the criticisms they suffered by the media.

Slyvester Asare Owusu, an astute business mogul during his supervision with the Kumasi based football club was never excluded by their attacks. He was famously alleged by  critics as stealing Kotoko’s money with a dustbin during a match against great rivals Hearts of Oak at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

Dr KK Sarpong not too long ago had it share when the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu appointed him as the executive director of the club in 2010. Dr Sarpong during his stay was forcely tagged by the attackers as an embezzler who is using his knowledge in books to steal the club’s money. Dr Sarpong was also heavily criticized by the media for introducing what he termed it as “tonaton” to sell players of the club to generate revenue.
The accomplished chartered accountant had enough of the unsubstantiated criticisms and eventually resigned in mid 2013.

After the resignation of Dr Sarpong, then popped up a former player of the club Samuel Opoku Nti who is loved by many because of his legendary status. Opoku took over from Dr Sarpong with great support virtually from all quarters, he is undoubtedly a chairman in recent times who had a massive support from the media but eventually felt the heat especially during his latter days.

Opoku Nti’s administration enjoyed less criticisms by many at his early stage but with the few people who spotted holes in his administration made him felt the fire regardless. He was labeled as having a gross incompetence in football administration.

Now a new chapter is opened with Former Bayern Munich and Black Stars defender Samuel Osei Kuffour as the head of the throne.

Osei Kuffour has already been perceived by a section of the local media as arrogant.
The days, weeks, months, and the years ahead will define how events will unfold with him and the media especially the Kumasi press.

Kuffour is known as a thick-skinned personality, for him to open up to the media will really enhance him get his ambitions for Kotoko fulfilled. For him to stay firm by not widely giving in to the media could flourish his stewardship with any avoidance of any distractions.

But button line is no matter what Kuffour will not escape the fire from the fire crackers. He should just embrace himself for a massive showdown. It is now a scoreless in the first minute. The game has just begun.

Source: ww.sportsworldghana.com