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| Full name | Asante Kotoko Sporting Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Porcupine Warriors | |||
| Founded | 31 August 1935; 89 years ago (1935-08-31) | |||
| Ground | Baba Yara Sports Stadium Kumasi,Ashanti,Ghana | |||
| Capacity | 40,528 | |||
| Owner | Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II | |||
| Chairman | Board Members lead by Kwasi Appiah | |||
| Manager | Dr. Prosper Nartey Ogum | |||
| League | Ghana Premier League | |||
| 2023–24 | 6th of 18 | |||
| Website | scasantekotoko | |||
 Current season | ||||
Asante Kotoko Sporting Club, simply known asAsante Kotoko, is aprofessionalfootball club founded on 31 August 1935 and based inKumasi in theAshanti Region ofGhana. Nicknamed thePorcupine Warriors, they compete in theGhana Premier League and play their home matches at theBaba Yara Stadium inAmakom, Kumasi.
They have won the league a record 24 times[1] and theCAF Champions League twice and were adjudged the African club of the century by theInternational Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).[2]
The foundation of Kumasi Asante Kotoko Sporting Club was laid by 13 youngAshanti men led by a young driver, Mr. Kwasi Kumah, ably supported by L.Y. Asamoah an electrician.[3][4] Mr. Kwasi Kumah, a native of Nyankyerenease nearKumasi in theAshanti Region, was achauffeur to anEnglish man and military officer, a Colonel Ross.[3][4] Kwasi Kumah nurtured the idea of forming afootball team when he watched an exciting football match.[3][4]When Colonel Ross returned home for good, Kumah bought a set ofjerseys to start his football team.[3][4] With co-operation from his good friend, L.Y.Asamoah, he formed theAshanti United Football Club in 1926.[3][4] Five years later the team was renamedKumasi Titanics.[3][4] The team was really handicapped because most of the players worked in government organizations like the Prisons and Railways and had been transferred from Kumasi.[3][4] "Kumasi Titanics" did not find enough luck in their new name and in 1934, they adopted a more powerful name,Mighty Atoms.[3][4] Still the club did not see much progress and in 1935, Mr J.S.K. Frimpong, popularly called Teacher Frimpong, then a teacher of the Kumasi Government School who had all the time shown interest in the club, organized some men from his school and proposed a change of name from "Kumasi Titanics" toKumasi Asante Kotoko Football Club.[3][4] Permission had to be obtained from theAsantehene (King of theKingdom of Ashanti) because the name "Kotoko", meaning "Porcupine" is the official symbol of the Ashanti nation.[3] TheAsantehene, Nana Sir Osei AgyemanPrempeh II, became the first life patron of the club.[3] Kumasi Asante Kotoko Football Club was subsequently formally founded in 1935.[3][4]
Asante Kotoko's emblem features the "Porcupine", displaying an inbuilt arsenal of sharp spikes for use when attacked by an enemy.[4]
TheAccra Sport Stadium disaster occurred at theOhene Djan Stadium,Accra,Ghana on 9 May, 2001. Ghana's most successful football teams played that day, theAccra Hearts of Oak (The Phobians) Sporting Club and the Asante Kotoko. Accra had two late goals and a referee would call 2–1 Accra, resulting in disappointed Kotoko fans throwing plastic seats and bottles onto the pitch. The police responded by firingtear gas into the trapped crowd. Panic and a stampede ensued as fans tried to escape. After the hour-long ordeal, it was found that 117 deaths resulted fromcompressive asphyxia and 10 fans died from trauma.[5]
In January 2020, the team was banned from the Baba Yara stadium temporarily, after violent reactions by supporters led to a fan being hit by a rubber bullet fired by the police. The fans were seen in various footages, throwing projectiles onto the pitch, because they were displeased with a refereeing decision. This happened in a match that they played against Berekum Chelsea.[6] A GFA ruling, fined the club 20,000 Ghana cedis and the next three games home games were played behind closed doors.[7]
In July 2011, Asante Kotoko and EnglishPremier League clubSunderland signed a partnership agreement, which will see Sunderland offering practical support and advice in youth coaching, player development, fitness and medical matters as well as football business strategy to Asante Kotoko.[8] In January 2002,P V Obeng was appointed as the board chairman of the Board of Directors of the club.[9]
The colours of Asante Kotoko depict the colours on both thenational flag (ethnic flag) andnational emblem ofAshanti with the colours of red, yellow and green used on the Asante Kotoko first (home)kit shirts and shorts while the colours white and red are used on the Asante Kotoko second alternative kit shirts and shorts; and in 2011, Asante Kotoko re-introduced third alternative kit of black, yellow and green colours worn in the late 1980s.[10]
      1st Colours |  2nd Colours |    2nd Alt. |    3rd Colours |
Asante Kotoko'semblem symbolizes thenational emblem of theKingdom of Ashanti (Kingdom of Asante) andAshanti with the colours black, green and yellow enclosing the colours on thenational flag andethnic flag of the Kingdom of Asante and Asante Kotoko's emblem [also represents thenational emblem of theAshanti people and theAshanti nation (who are more like theCatalan people andCatalonia); the Asante Kotoko emblem features a remarkably threatening lookingporcupine and themotto "AshantiTwi:Kum apem a, apem beba", which means "If you kill a thousand, a thousand more will come".[4]
Asante Kotoko'shomestadium is theBaba Yara Stadium located in the capital city ofAshanti, Kumasi. With a 40,528 capacity, Baba Yara Stadium which was built in 1957, is the largest stadium in Ghana. The stadium is Baba Yara, after a former Ghanaian Footballer who played for Kotoko between 1955 and 1961. In 2010, it was reported that as part of an endorsement byRlg Communications that Asante Kotoko will get amulti-purpose stadium called the Rlg Fabulous Arena.[11]
Asante Kotoko is the 6th biggestfootball team andprofessional club inContinental Africa and arguably the biggest club in Ghana; Asante Kotoko has a speculated 10 million followers and in the year 2011, Asante Kotoko andSunderland AFC respective club executiveChairmen's engaged in strategic and positive discussions on both clubs collaborating.[12] The Asante Kotoko strategical partnership seesSunderland of thePremier League sharing its coaching and business expertise with Asante Kotoko, offering practical support and advice in youth coaching, player development, fitness and medical matters and footballbusiness strategy.[12] Kotoko in turn works closely withSunderland AFC to help thePremier League club build and grow its brand in the emergingAfrican territory andgeographic Africa.[12] In the 2021-22 season of the top-flight football league of Ghana, Asante Kotoko drew an average home attendance of 4,585.[13]
Theowner and lifepatron of Asante Kotoko sports club is the Asantehene, King of the Ashantis/ Asantes of Ghana,Osei Tutu II.[14] The GH150 million per annum (per season) Asante Kotoko squad playerssalarywage bill for 2015 and further additional GH105 million per annum (perseason) squad playerstransferwage bill for 2015 is financed from the large andindustrial mineral rich economy of Ashanti withAshanti being the 2nd largest producer oftheobroma cacao andcocoa in the world as most of the world's cocoa is grown inAshanti.[15]
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Ashanti is a top-10 producer ofgold bars andgoldbullions in theworld as Ashanti is also a major site of the world'sgold-mining industry withAshanti being home to the world's 10th largest producinggold mine onEarth; TheObuasi Gold Mine.[16] The 1ton ofGold bars andGold (Bullion) is worth $64.3 Million dollars (US$64,300,000) at $2000/oz.[17]
Asante Kotoko's diverse endorsements portfolio includestechnologycorporations Interplast, Smart TV, Iei and giantRlg Communications;financial institutionFidelity Bank; water company Everpure limited, Peppis Pizzalimited, and Vit's Noodles limited;telecommunication companiesMillicom andMTN Group;mass media companySportsPro Media limited;worldwide majorelectricity generation andelectricityconstruction incorporationSymbion Power; andSingaporeankit manufacturer Kubba.[18]
In November 2020 a partnership agreement was signed between the club and Hisense Ghana. This made Hisense, an electronics manufacturer, the club's official electronics partner from 2020 until 2023.[19]
| Asante KotokoKit Manufacturers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Name |
| 2008 | 2011 | Lotto |
| 2011 | 2012 | Erreà |
| 2012 | 2014 | Puma SE |
| 2014 | 2018 |  Kubba[18] |
| 2019 | 2020 | Strike[20] |
| 2020 | Erreà | |
Asante Kotokotraining ground and training facilitiesheadquarters, are located in thecapital city of theAshanti nation,Kumasi.[21] There is ongoingconstruction of the "Asante Kotoko Adako-Jachie Training Complex" which when completed in 2015 will consist of three trainingpitches, oneartificial grass pitch, multi-functional sports hall,Olympic-size swimming pool and a 20-bedroom camping facility for Asante Kotoko at Adako Jachiesuburb situated on the outskirts of Kumasi.[21] The "Asante Kotoko Adako-Jachie Training Complex"; three training pitches and the 20bedroom facility will come with a large multi-operationalhealth club andgym,weights forstrength training andphysical fitness area, amassage unit,dressing rooms, the technical staff's andcoaches' office, as well as aconference room with screening facilities andoffices for the Asante KotokoChief operating officers (Operations Director) and the technical bench.[21]
Whereas one of the training pitches will go to the Asante Kotoko reserve and youth squad; the remaining two other training pitches will be used by the Asante Kotoko professional senior squad.[21]The Asante Kotokoexecutive boardcommittee revealed that 10 percent of contributions to the Asante Kotoko development project fund would be used to fund the "Asante Kotoko Adako-Jachie Training Complex" and mega training facility.[21] The Asante Kotokoexecutive board intimated that the Asante KotokoOwner and LifePatron of Asante Kotoko,Asantehene KingOtumfuo Osei Tutu II of theAshanti nation is to provide both financial and moral support to the "Asante Kotoko Adako-Jachie Training Complex" and mega training facility construction project.[21] The Asante Kotoko squad players are driven from the Asante Kotoko stadium on the Asante Kotoko squadcoach (bus) manufactured byTata Motors ofconglomerateTata Group to the training headquarters of Asante Kotoko.[22]
Situated at theheadquarters of Asante Kotoko is also theYouth academy of Asante Kotoko, in which system and program focuses on the Asante Kotoko youth squad players development as footballers. Former products of the Asante Kotoko Youth academy development program and system includeKarim Abdul Razak,Tony Yeboah,Isaac Vorsah,Samuel Inkoom,Godwin Antwi.[23]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Contributor: Bright Yeboah Taylor (Ghanaian Sports Historian)(KUMASI)
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| CAF | Football Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Al-Ahly | 91 |
| 2 |  Espérance | 58 |
| 3 | Étoile du Sahel | 54 |
| 4 | Zamalek | 50 |
| 5 |  TP Mazembe | 49 |
| 6 |  Asante Kotoko | 44 |
For details on former Asante Kotoko SC footballers seeCategory:Asante Kotoko S.C. players.
George Commey Mills-Odoi[38] (1951–1952)
Tamás Kertész (1971–1973)Ibrahim Sunday (1982)Malik Jabir (1993–1994)[39]James Kwesi Appiah (1995–1996)[40][41]
Ernst Middendorp (30 December 1999 – 30 June 2002)Karim Abdul Razak (2003–2004)Malik Jabir (2005–2006)
Telat Üzüm[42] (1 October 2006 – 31 March 2007)
Maurice Cooreman[43] (1 November 2008 – 10 February 2009)Herbert Addo[44] (25 June 2009 – 1 April 2010)
Bogdan Korak[45] (5 November 2010 – 26 August 2011)Maxwell Konadu[46] (2011–12)Mas-Ud Didi Dramani[47][48] (2012–14)David Duncan[49] (2014–16)Michael Osei[50][51] (2016)
Zdravko Logarušić[51](2017)
Steven Polack[52] (May, 2017)Paa Kwesi Fabin[53] (2018)Charles Akonnor[54](1 Oct 2018 – July 2019)
Kjetil Zachariassen[55] (July 2019 – December 2019)Maxwell Konadu[56] ( December 2019 – December 2020) Abdul Gazale[57] (February 2021 – March 2021) (Interim)
Mariano Barreto[58](March 2021 – September 2021)Prosper Narteh Ogum[59](September 2021 – August 2022)
Seydou Zerbo (2022 - 2023)Prosper Narteh Ogum[60] (2023 - present)| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Champions of Africa 1970–71 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Champions of Africa 1983–84 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | African Cup Winners' Cup Runner up:Asante Kotoko Winner:Wydad Casablanca  2002–03 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | CAF Confederation Cup Runner up:Asante Kotoko Winner:Hearts of Oak 2004–05 | Succeeded by |
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