Kofi Abanga urges Hearts and Kotoko to stop dwelling on past glories

Kofi Abanga has issued a warning to Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko saying that they must move from their past laurels and focus on their upcoming games.

The two most successful clubs in Ghana dominated Africa in the 20th and the early stages of the 21st century, winning the CAF Champions League and the Confederation Cup titles.

However, Hearts and Kotoko have since failed to make it to the semi-final of the competition. Meanwhile, both clubs continue to pride themselves in the success they achieved in the past – Asante Kotoko, two times champions of the Champions League (1970, 1983), and Accra Hearts of Oak (2000).

“Football, in particular, has changed, there’s been a lot of additions (modernization), so those things like we’ve won a cup eleven years ago, ten years ago, it’s time these two teams put that behind”, he told ghanasportspage.com.

“We have to assume we’ve not won any cup (in continental competition), so if we continue to pride ourselves in those assertions that we’ve won the cup eleven years ago, we won the cup ten years ago I think it will go against the clubs.

“So it’s time the two teams sit and reflect on how they can move the clubs forward to win new trophies and stop those archaic things, excuse my word because a lot of things have changed in the football now so we have to put those things behind and focus on how the team can win a cup, that’s the most important thing,”

He added, “If you look at a player like Samuel Affum, he was promoted from Hearts of Oak’s youth team (Auroras) to the senior team and he was super.”

“It’s about time the two clubs pay attention to their youth side and also hire some of their old players who have the knowledge in the game to help them with scouting and to occupy some coaching positions in the club. This can help them build a winsome side and to maintain the club’s identity”, he concluded.