In an intriguing interview with the president of Ashanti Gold SC Dr. Kwaku Frimpong (Champion) with Fox FM on Focal Sports, the astute football administrator has revealed why he usually prefers to hire the services of an expatriate coach instead of an indigenous one. The Miners have appointed former Ebusua Dwarfs Brazilian coach Ricardo Da Rocha on a four years deal as coach of the club following the exit of Norwegian Kjetil Zachariassen, and Champion has explained why he normally prefers foreign coaches over the locals. He answered questions on the club’s preparations for the CAF Confederation Cup campaign, new signings and on the club’s plan for an academy football. Below are the excepts from the interview.
Why do you always prefer expatriate coaches to local ones and why given Da Rocha four years?
Yes, it’s true he has signed for four years, this is because we have an academy so for now we want to build a soccer school to build the kids to grow up, so another coach will also arrive from Brazil to partner with (coach) Malam Yahaya to take charge of the youth side, because we want to keep eye on the youth side.
On preference for expatriate coaches: I don’t really have anything against the black (local) coaches, but now every kid (player) wants to travel and football too is business, it’s not just entertaining, so it’s good for business so you need to do something like soccer academy to sell some players to raise money to look after the team, because the motivation in Ghana football is less, sponsorship package is less, so you should be able to build soccer academy to raise money to look after the senior team.
Now everyone wants to travel abroad, so if you want to travel abroad then you have to play to their standard, so that’s the reason why I bring in foreign coaches, not that I doubt the competence of the local coaches, the whites have the antidote to physical and power soccer so when they come its helps the lads when they move abroad to avoid being benched, so this is my philosophy.
What do you know about coach Ricardo Da Rocha?
I have studied his background and have looked at his history, I think he is a good coach and very tactical, and he also makes players physically strong and for me what I need in this world is for the players to be physically fit, every Ghanaian player who is a footballer is good but you need energy and power to play, that is what I’m looking for and that is what some of our Ghanaian coaches lack, because if you make the player strong everywhere he goes, he can play.
On the new Brazilian striker Canaro: He is a super player, we’ve watched his clips and he’s fantastic, he has no size, nice gentleman, good height, very skillful, everyone should come and watch him against Rahimo FC (of Burkina Faso). Now Ghana soccer is dying with the interest moving to European soccer, so we need to bring in foreigners to mix with the locals to make the fans happy to come back to Ghana soccer, we have lost some fame to the foreign market so now we have to bring that fame back. To bring such players is not easy, it takes a lot but I think it’s all just to make Ghanaians happy and give them good soccer.
Ashgold have been drawn against Akonangui FC of Equitorial Guinea, what does your side know about them?
We are on it, working on those who have problems with their passports, we’ve prepared very well, we’ve just started but for them we are sure within that we will go and get the job done. The tough match is the one in Morocco after this one, that is the one we will tackle much because I’m sure they are also strong, we will shock them, for now we are preparing, this is one match after the other. For now, our team is a foreign standard, pray for us, the time is very short for preparations, that is the only thing that worries us, the time is very short but I think we’ll prove a point.
Who are the new recruits on board now?
Yes, he’s signed (referring to David Abagna, formerly of Wa All Stars), he trained and scored a fantastic goal yesterday when they junior team held the senior side to a 1-1 draw. Osei (Baffour) is done, we’ve finished with him too.
