Former Captain of Kumasi Asante Kotoko Joseph Hendricks says the current state of the club began after the 2004 Confederation Cup final.
Asante Kotoko lost on penalties to archrivals Accra Hearts of Oak in the maiden edition of the CAF inter-club competition, which was a merger of the CAF Winners Cup and CAF Cup.
It has been the last final the record Ghana Premier League champions have played in.
Since then, the side has struggled to make an impact on the continent, their best being the group stage in 2006, in the CAF Champions League, and in 2008 and 2019 in the Confederation Cup.
After losing to Hearts in the CAF Confederation Cup final in 2004, Joseph Hendricks switched to Ashanti Gold SC after just one season.
Speaking in an interview on Agoro Fie on Onua TV on Friday, April 12, the former defender said the 2004 squad was a “solid” squad and should have been left to play together longer.
“Kotoko started collapsing after that 2004 Confederation Cup final,” he told host Alfred Takyi Mensah.
“That squad for Kotoko was a solid squad but after the Confederation Cup that squad started to be dissolved.”
He said the team was made up of strong and intelligent players like Charles Taylor, who was also in-studio for the programme, and not “social media” players like the side has now.
Hendricks called on management of the club to travel to a country like Egypt to learn from the Zamaleks and Al Ahlys in order to become a force to reckon with.
He said the current crop of players lack the spirit to play for a “big” club like Kotoko and are only playing for no reason.
The Porcupine Warriors are currently 10th on the Ghana Premier League table with 33 points.
They have managed only one point from their last six games, losing three successive home games.
They will travel to Dawu to face struggling Dreams FC next.
