“Some board members threatened me to sack Seydou Zerbo or lose my job’ – Kotoko CEO Nana Yaw Amponsah opens up

Asante Kotoko Chief Exxecutive Officer (CEO) Nana Yaw Amponsah has explained the club’s reason behind the sacking of coach Seydou Zerbo.

The Burkinabe was fired in March this year after the Porcupine Warriors were shocked 2-0 at home by Medeama SC.

Nana Yaw in an interview with Oyerepa FM in Kumasi has disclosed that the management were satisficed with the Burkinabe’s performance and had no intensions of sacking him but they showed him the exit due to an intelliegence they picked regarding some sections of the club’s fans decision to invade the Adako Jachie sports complex to attack him.

He also mentioned that he was told by some board members to either sack the coach or resign from his post as CEO.

“We did not bow to just calls for him to go, no. I think as management we knew what the club was and what he was capable of but we picked up strong intelligence that some people had plotted or planned to go and attack him at the training ground, similar to what happened to matic at Hearts of Oak and that incident has happened to Kotoko before and we felt that such a thing happening will not be in the best interest of the club, especially with the image of the club”

“When we engaged him, he also said he had some conversations with his embassy here (Burkina Faso Embassy) and they have reiterated same so we felt that for us to allow some people to attack the coach at the training ground to defame the brand, if he’s falling out of love, we should just save ourselves that trouble.

“If you ask any management member, we were not happy with him going because we felt we still had the chance in the league with him and we felt that the time left, we can’t bring an outsider coach to come and make any massive impact if officiating continues the way it has been”

“There were a majority of supporters who wanted him (Zerbo) out. I remember our game against Hearts of Oak in Accra, I had to step in else he would have been attacked, even some persons I know were part but it’s not necessary now. There was a point there were calls from the board and I say this on authority that they said either the coach goes or the CEO goes, this is on record”

Seydou Zerbo signed for Asante Kotko at the start of the current season and saw the club kicked out of the CAF Champions League and also struggling in the Ghana Premier League.