Asante Kotoko coach, Mariano Barreto says he would have to leave his post if current working conditions prevail at the club next season.
The Portuguese took up the Porcupines’ job barely midway into the 2020/21 season. After a bright start under his watch, Kotoko’s fortunes took a nosedive late in the season with the club eventually ending it trophyless.
Barreto has not been a happy man and has gone full-blown with public complaints over some structural deficit he has had to contend with in the line of his work in the past four months.
He wants the club to make these standard provisions to make his work effective.
“I will not be available to continue working in the same way we finished this league [2020/21 season]. It is not possible,” the 64-year-old said in a no holds barred interview on Nyhira FM.
He continued: “I will be insulting myself if I continue working without dressing rooms, physio room, office; it is the minimum requirement to be given to a coach to do his job.
Asked if his demands which most are factored in an about-to-be-completed project at the club’s Adako-Jachie Training Complex is a way of putting pressure on the club to speed up work, Barreto responded:
“I’m not making demands for Adako-Jachie. I’m looking to have dressing rooms, video room, gym, office and I have to have a place where I can bring my players and say look this is what you did in this match.
“When you are working or building something, the most important thing is to try to right what you did wrong so if these things will not be solved, what am I doing here?
“I’m a professional coach. I did not come here looking for a job. I don’t need it at all. I’m very proud to be here to help with my personal contribution to development.
“And if the club doesn’t think it’s important to have youth teams if the club doesn’t look like it cares, what am I doing here?,” he quipped further.
Barreto added he will be happy to trigger his exit for coaches who will settle for less to take up the job.
“So continuing in the same way, there are about thousands who will be happy to be here saying I’m the coach of Kotoko but it’s not in my case.
“Contracts, all over the world, have beginnings and ends and the end can happen upon my request or that of the club. If I think the condition is not good, I will be the first to talk with the club that I’m losing my time here and I’m making you waste your time,”
Asante Kotoko gave up the Ghana Premier League title chase after a 1-0 defeat to eventual winners and sworn rivals Hearts of Oak with four matches to spare.
Looking to settle for the FA Cup, their hopes were dashed by Berekum Chelsea who kicked them out at home in the quarterfinals via penalty shootouts.
Kotoko announced the appointment of Mariano Barreto on March 26 on a one-and-a-half-year contract.
