Abdul Razak reveals why he resigned from Kotoko after winning the 2003 Ghana Premier League

Former player and head coach of Asante Kotoko Karim Abdul Razak has finally disclosed his reasons why left after guiding the club to clinch the 2003 Ghana Premier League.

Razak ended the Porcupine Warriors ten-year trophy drought in the Ghanaian top-flight in 2003, having last won the 1993 edition under the chairmanship of Sylvester Asare Owusu – now Banahene.

Despite the historic feat, the 1978 African Footballer of the Year resigned from his post – a decision which surprised majority of the club’s supporters.

He revealed that, the then Interim Management Committee led by Sylvester Asare Owusu, in their end-of-the-year report to Manhyia attributed his success to match-fixing.

“After the league success Otumfuo invited us and when we met him in the company of some of the sub-chief, they all praised us for the good job done”

“However, when the management were asked to render an account, they stated that they bought some of the games we won and that contributed to the success we chalked.

“Looking at the calibre of players I had I couldn’t let them attribute our league triumph to match-fixing, so I had issues with the management and I had to leave.”

The ‘Golden Boy’ as he is affectionately known had three separate spells with Asante Kotoko during his play days, winning three league titles with the club in 1981, 1986 and 1987, having joined the Reds in 1975. He later moved to New York Cosmos in the United States.

Razak would return to Kotoko after two years and spent a year with the Reds before joining Al Ain in the UAE. His third stint came in 1986 where he spent five seasons and later joined Africa Sports of Abidjan where he retired after two years.