A popular saying in Akan translates literally that if you are unable to get something for your in-laws, you don’t steal from them. Contrary to this saying, instead of the current leadership of Asante Kotokoto to contribute to the existing facilities of the club, they have rather denied the club a standard Astro Turf – MetroFM Sports Desk’s investigations has revealed.
It will be recalled that on Friday, 31st January, 2014, Budget Cash and Carry, the importers of Blue Jeans energy drink presented cash cheque of GH₵50,000.00 to Asante Kotoko as their donation to Kotoko ahead of the Club’s CAF Champions League preliminary game against Barrack Young Controllers of Liberia. The donation by the then Kotoko sponsor, which was presented as if it was a philanthropic gesture, was rather a negotiated deal as revealed by investigations conducted.
It will be recalled that Asante Kotoko and Budget Cash and Carry signed a 3-year sponsorship contract on 31st May, 2012 worth GH₵350,000.00. As stated in article 3:2 and 3:3 of the contract, Budget Cash and Carry were to pay GH₵100,000.00 cash in the first season which they duly paid to the erstwhile Dr. K. K. Sarpong administration. The remaining GH₵250,000.00 were supposed to be paid in two folds of GH₵120,000.00 and GH₵130,000.00 respectively over the subsequent two seasons for the construction of Astro Turf of international standard for the club at the Adako Jachie training facility.
Part of Article 3.3 of the contract reads as follows:
3.3 The parties hereto agree that the sponsorship amounts stated in Clause 3:2 herein shall be paid and applied as follows:
3.3.1.1: Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH₵50,000.00) on or before August, 1, 2012; and
3.3.1.2 Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis(GH₵50,000.00) on or before December, 1, 2012
3.3.2: The sponsorship amount for the second and third years of the term hereby granted shall be used for the purposes of installing an Astro Turf training pitch at the Club’s training grounds at AdakoJachie , providing that the Sponsor shall, at its sole discretion but with the consent of the Club which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, engage a contractor to design, install and brand the Astro Turf training pitch to internationally acceptable standards.
The contract has ended and the astro-turf has not been constructed! A shocking revelation following our investigation indicates that OpokuNti’s management were hard pressed for money for the African competition, went to Budget Cash and carry and negotiated for fiscal cash in exchange for the state of the art Astro-turf.
What makes the deal cruel is the fact that they only took GH₵50,000 cash which represents only 20% of the value of the Astro-turf.
Sir Franco Nero (Metro FM, Kumasi)
