Former Accra Hearts of Oak midfielder, Esme Mends has congratulated the Asante Kotoko Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nana Yaw Amponsah after emerging as the Ghana Football Awards CEO of The Year last night.
Elsewhere, he expressed worries over the criteria used for the awards.
On Saturday, July 2, 2022, the fourth edition of the awards ceremony was held at the Grand Arena in Accra with several footballers, coaches, clubs, and officials being honored.
The glamourous night saw Nana Yaw Amponsah winning big for the job he has done at Asante Kotoko for the second time since taking over as the club’s CEO in August 2020.
The young football administrator notably has managed to secure several sponsorships for the club and also won the 2021/22 GPL title.
Esme Mends, a critic of the young football administrator expressed worries over the criteria and steps used for the event.
However, he congratulates Nana Yaw Amponsah for grabbing the award for the second time.
“You know a lot goes into it if we are doing a proper assessment of somebody or an organization. I’ve said in previous interviews that we’ve had past CEOs who win the league but they are no more there not because they resigned but because they were sacked. Is not just winning the league. Is said it.
“As CEO or a coach, your target is results-oriented. You just want to win always when you leave the developmental portion of coaching and management. It contains a lot but not just winning the league. Last season Accra Hearts of Oak won the league. Would you say that our CEO was the best? If I were to award the best coach not to take anything away from Coach Prosper Ogum, I would have gone for Bechem United coach, Kassim Mingle because he was able to finish second and as a finalist in the FA Cup. When you divide Kotoko into four or five parts, Bechem United will get one but he has been able to develop young players and unknown players into big names. But anytime when you check the win ratio of the two coaches you could see that the one who didn’t win might have better stats.
“If it is by vote, what are the criteria used for the awards. Am not saying that they didn’t do a good job.
“I congratulate Nana Yaw Amponsah for winning the best CEO.”
“Am saying that any club that wins the league trophy must be awarded and also win the COE of that year.
“Last season Accra Hearts of Oak won the league and the FA Cup but they didn’t get the best CEO. ON what basis…I am not taking anything away from Nana Yaw Amponsah. Wherever and whatever I said, I said it. I am not changing my words.
“On the best player, who is the best player in Ghana now? Somewhere along with the line people were just saying that Etouga but we had another guy that was leading him with just one goal and after the season he didn’t win the golden boot. People started comparing him to Ishmael Addo and breaking his record. Later on, Yaw Annor who we didn’t talk about came from behind and win it.
“When you compare these two players Kotoko is having the resources but Etouga didn’t win the goal king.
“Kotoko obviously, they have the better players, a better coach, and all that, better resources but the guy couldn’t win.
“Someone might be doing a great job but sometimes because of what people will say they will choose a different person.
“I am not taking anything away from Nana Yaw Amponsah, I will congratulate him and for his issue, I don’t want to touch it now. Esme Mends told Ghanasportspage.com
Two years ago, the Chief Executive Officer of Asante Kotoko, Nana Yaw Amponsah came under intense scrutiny regarding his ability to deliver, and on the list of his doubters was the former Accra Hearts of Oak midfield king Esme Mends, who described him as a “pretender” who incapable of doing the job.
Esme Mends launched a scathing whip on the CEO who many see as the savor of the club’s continental competition woes, expressing his disappointment on “whoever decided to appoint him as the new CEO of Kotoko”. In his submission, the renowned player scout predicted that Nana Yaw Amponsah will fail at Kotoko because the club is “too big for people like” him.
Esme Mends who revealed he was managed by the now Kotoko CEO as a player, disclosed that he knows him deeply and for his experience with him, he has no reason to believe that Amponsah will take Asante Kotoko to the promised land.
