Asante Kotoko have confirmed the appointment of their assistant coach Johnson Smith as the interim head coach of the club after parting ways with head coach Maxwell Konadu for non-performance.
The former Karela United coach takes charge of the club’s head coach duties as a stop-gap coach, and will lead the team in its next matches as the club prepares the grounds for the arrival of a new substantive manager.
For the records, this is the third time Asante Kotoko have appointed Johnson Smith as their interim head coach after parting ways with a substantive coach in charge. In the 2007/2008 season, coach Johnson Smith was then the assistant coach of Asante Kotoko with Bashir Hayford as the head coach. Bashir Hayford left the club after guiding them to win the premier league title in that season, leaving Johnson Smith still with the club. Asante Kotoko then brought in coach Isaac Opeele Boateng to partner Smith at the helms of the club.
Ironically, coach Opeele Boateng later asked the club to make Johnson Smith the head coach so he will assist him, a decision which the club did not accept. Subsequently, they brought in Belgian international Maurice Cooreman, who became the head coach between November 2008 to February 2009. Maurice was assisted by Opeele and Johnson Smith left the club.
Maurice Cooreman was replaced with coach Samuel Paa Kwasi Fabin as the head coach in the early season of 2009. Paa Kwasi Fabin left then coach Jonson Smith was brought in as interim head coach for the first time after the exit of Paa Kwasi Fabin. Coach Ebo Mends was then appointed as head coach after and Ahmed Rockson replaced Johnson Smith as assistant.
However, Ebo Mends resigned as the head coach of Asante Kotoko in November 2010 following a 1-0 defeat to Accra Hearts of Oak at the Baba Yara Sports stadium in the then Glo Premier League. Asante Kotoko had gone 13 matches into the season and had won 4, drawn 1 and lost 3 in the league. The club’s legend Samuel Opoku Nti took over as interim coach before Bogdan Korak was later appointed as head coach.
In November 2019, Asante Kotoko fired their Norwegian head coach, Kjetil Zachariassen after failing to qualify the team to the group stages of the 2019/2020 CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup respectively. Coach Johnson Smith was reappointed on a two-year deal as an interim head coach of Asante Kotoko following the departure of Zachariassen.
In December 2019, coach Maxwell Konadu was appointed by Asante Kotoko as head coach of the club, and Johnson Smith was made his assistant. The two have worked together along with other backroom staff until Friday, December 18, 2020 when the club announced it had parted ways with Maxwell Konadu and appointed Johnson Smith as head coach in the interim, making it the third time the former Sekondi Eleven Wise coach is leading the Porcupine Warriors as interim head coach.
Coach Johnson Smith holds a CAF Licence B coaching Certificate, and by law, is ineligible to lead Asante Kotoko as head coach on permanent basis. It is left to time whether Kotoko will hire an expatriate coach to replace Maxwell Konadu or stick to the local market.
