Herbert Mensah Advises KK Sarpong - "Apologise To Otumfuo..."

Former Kumasi Asante Kotoko Chairman, Herbert Amponsah Mensah has advised Dr KK Sarpong to humbly withdraw his lawsuit against club and render an apology to Otumfour Osei Tutu II to save himself from being hit with a "bad luck".

Mensah, who led Kotoko between 1999-2003 says it is a total exhibition of disrespect on the part of Dr Sarpong to drag an entire institution like Kotoko and its spiritual head to court, emphasizing that a call to serve the African Club of the Century is a greatest honour that must not be taken for granted.

The current Ghana Rugby Chairman, who was recently described by legendary writer Kwabena Yeboah as "the greatest leader he has ever met at the Porcupine Warriors" insisted that he invested so much wealth into the Kumasi-based side during his four year stay but it has never occurred to him to demand his monies back because such an action will damage his integrity.

Mensah opined that it is morally wrong for the former Cocobod chairman to legally demand his money from Kotoko, saying it is unwise to demand from your divorced wife all the things you spent on her.

He indicated that all previous leaders of the club who had taken to Dr Sarpong's path ended up being hit with a bad luck, and he doesn't wish that for the embattled businessman.

In an extensive interview with Accra-based Atinka FM, Mensah further stressed that Dr Sarpong must not be led by calls and attacks on his personality to embark on missions that could end up being detrimental to himself.

"You know we are all different people I think that's first and foremost...we all have different levels of values and we all look at our own levels of integrity completely differently

"When you're divorced some of the situations you can be hurtful but I think when you take over an institution like Kotoko you have to be very careful"

"That is why after every game I published the accounts of what happened at the stadium, it is there and it was published in every single edition of Kotoko Express",

"I did that because Kotoko did not belong to me, it belonged to the supporters...yes when you leave some people will say you are a thief, you are criminal but it is your job to decide and understand who you are in the context of Kotoko and I use to say in terms of Kotoko we are nothing...the club is an institution which is greater than all of us".

"I will like to mention on record that when you take the helm of leadership at Kotoko it changes your life, very few people leave Kotoko and are still standing",

"Your drain your sweat, your emotions , your money into the club that you love and with what you love you are not expected to now go and demand from your wife 'oh I bought you this shirt so give it back to me'",

"I mean it is a very peculiar thing for an educated person to do"

"The other thing is this, that when you enter into Asante Kotoko, you're there on a special request and as a guest of Otumfuo and so if you don't believe in the power of the seat of Otumfuo then you should not be Kotoko, you should not be chairman of Kotoko",

"It is an institution that is not like any corporate entity..the club belongs to the people and the spiritual head is Otumfour",

"You have to be so careful when you run Kotoko, you can't run it as your private business but on the other side it is still an institution which makes it the biggest club in Ghana and one of the biggest in Africa",

"So when your term is ended, you cannot go and take on the spiritual head of the club to say you're taking him to court"

"People have done it but now look at what has happened to some of them who have done it..all they've in their life is bad luck".

"I was with him (Otumfour) three days ago..and I visit him at least once a month, I have great love and great respect for him, somebody will say with all what he did and what was said but it is his club and he can do whatever he wants with it",

"When I was at Kotoko I bough nearly SEVENTY players..nearly seventy and I think we sold two, three or four maximum and even with that we had to justify to the general public that we were investing this thing knowing that you can be removed at any point".

"But I never felt it right to even sell the players to make up for a loss because the plan was to keep them for five years"

"And that's why I say we are all different people because I looked at Kotoko as belonging to the people, I looked at my job as being an honour to the Otumfour Opoku Ware",

"Then I had the endorsement from Otumfour Osei Tutu II when he came to power and I did my four years there, and I did it I have no regrets at all",

"But for me to take my daughter, my wife or my father to court... I have not been brought up to do that, I can't do that",

"If he determines that I should get nothing..if his view I should get nothing and even if he determines that I should have run the club a better way, then I have to be very careful because even if the supporters say chairman we like you, it is because you run a club they like, not your personality so i think it is a mistake",

"And I will ask Dr Sarpong who I do not know, I have never met him in my life, to reconsider his actions...I will ask him to reconsider his actions and quiet frankly, go back to Otumfour and say I believe In have erred in this matter and lets move on

Herbert Mesnah is well respected among Ghanaian football fans and specifically within Kotoko circles for his great dedication and love for the club despite his infamous exit in 2003.