Eric Tinkler will enforce discipline at Asante Kotoko - Sarfo Duku
Former Asante Kotoko Communications Director Sarfo Duku has backed the club’s decision to appoint South African coach Eric Tinkler, insisting an expatriate coach could help restore discipline and improve player attitudes at the Porcupine Warriors.
Duku believes foreign coaches are better positioned to make difficult decisions and demand higher standards from players because they are not influenced by the personal relationships and cultural pressures that often affect local coaches.
Speaking on Nhyira FM, Duku said the appointment of Tinkler, alongside the club’s new director of football, was a step in the right direction as Kotoko look to address previous disciplinary challenges.
“So far I am impressed with the appointment of the director of football and the coach [Eric Tinkler]. I strongly advocated for the appointment of a foreign person to fill those gaps," he said.
The former club administrator explained that Kotoko needed a coach who could change the mentality of the playing squad after periods of tension between the technical team and players.
“In view of several disciplinary issues, I believed it was time for Kotoko to bring an expatriate for us to see if things would be done the same way, because, to be honest with you, things were not going well at a point between the technical team and the playing body, and I believed that we needed somebody who could change the attitude of the boys."
He further argued that familiarity between local coaches and players can sometimes make it difficult to maintain authority, especially when personal connections influence team decisions.
“You can't rule out the issue of familiarity; you will not be surprised that local coaches have their boys, so it will be difficult, and also the way we do our recruitment, we allow them to bring their boys, and it's a fact nobody can deny," he added.
Tinkler was appointed as Asante Kotoko’s head coach ahead of the 2026/27 Ghana Premier League season as the club seeks a fresh direction following a period of restructuring.