Asante Kotoko set to appoint Portuguese manager Mariano Bareto as new head coach

Modernghana.com Sports desk understands that Asante Kotoko is set to appoint Mariano Bareto as the club’s new head coach.

The 64-year-old Portuguese gaffer is expected to be named in the coming days.

The Asante Kotoko management led by Nana Yaw Amponsah has been in contact with the representatives of Bareto and talks are far advanced for a deal to be reached.

The former Black Stars coach is reported to have agreed to become the next coach of the Ghana Premier League giants.

The Ghana Premier League powerhouse after parting ways with head coach Maxwell Konadu in December 2020 after losing to Great Olympics appointed Johnson Smith as the interim manager.

However, the club in less than a month communicated that Abdul Gazale will serve as the head coach of the club.

With Bareto coming as the new head coach, Johnson Smith will serve as the assistant coach with Gazale expected to leave the club.

• Who is Mariano Bareto?

Mariano Barreto (born 18 January 1957) is a Portuguese football manager who coaches Stumbras in Lithuania.

In January 2009, he became an assistant coach in the Russian Premier League with FC Kuban Krasnodar. Barreto was officially registered as head coach of Kuban because Sergei Ovchinnikov, who really managed the team, did not own a UEFA Pro Licence.

In April 2014, Barreto was selected to take over the head coach of Ethiopia. He agreed to leave the position on 18 April 2015.

From 2016 manager in FC Stumbras. In 2017 won Lithuanian Football Cup.