Maxwell Baakoh discloses reason behind his premature departure from Asante Kotoko

Ghanaian footballer, Maxwell Baakoh, has disclosed the reasons behind his departure from Asante Kotoko, one of the country’s most prominent football clubs.

Prior to the commencement of the 2020-2021 football season, negotiations between the Porcupine Warriors team and Baakoh’s representatives failed to reach an agreement on a new contract for the talented midfielder.

While at the Kumasi-based club, Maxwell Baakoh took legal action against Asante Kotoko to seek compensation for unpaid signing-on payments, which led to the Ghana FA’s Players and Coaches Status Committee ordering the club to pay Gh 25,000 to the player.

In an interview with Ghanasportspage.com, Maxwell Baakoh expressed his disappointment with Asante Kotoko’s unprofessional conduct, stating that the club attempted to offer him a lower amount than what he was already earning, two days before the contract deadline.

He added that he did not want to take a pay cut and move backward in his career. Furthermore, he alleged that he was unfairly dismissed from the team’s hotel after their pre-season in Koforidua.

Despite efforts by then-coaches Maxwell Konadu and Johnson Smith to convince him to stay, and a call from team manager Ohene Brenyah and the club’s CEO, Nana Yaw Amponsah, Baakoh informed them to liaise with his agent, Yusif Chibsah, who was never contacted by the club’s CEO.

In summary, Baakoh left Asante Kotoko due to a contract disagreement and non-payment of signing-on fees, which he sought justice for through legal means.

“They wanted to give me something less than what I was taking to extend my contract two days before the deadline day. What they did was unprofessional,” he told Ghanasportspage.com

“Before that, I was receiving 2000 cedis every month with a signing-on fee of 25,000. I didn’t want to take something less than what I was receiving. We are moving forward in life but not backward,”

“The then coaches [Maxwell Konadu and Johnson Smith] all came in and wanted me to stay. Our team manager Ohene Brenyah stepped in and I explained everything to him. Nana Yaw Amponsah also called me during our pre-season in Koforidua but I informed him to call my agent, Yusif Chibsah. He decided not to do it but asked for a document showing why he is my agent,”

“What they were doing was unprofessional. They never gave me a contract extension with a huge offer which I declined. There’s no truth about that,”

“It’s a whole lot. I was even sacked from the hotel after we had returned from our pre-season in Koforidua. I didn’t want to talk about this issue but this is the right time for me to talk,”