These days Kotoko are on the high and it is looking like our fans are taking the success for granted. We are yet to lose a match this second round but in the corner of my eye, I am aware the Ashgold too have won every game they have played this second round which is a huge achievement for them.

Kotoko has taken a 10 point lead over Ashgold and are on track to win its 22^nd league title and entrench itself as the most successful club in Ghana and Africa’s club of the century.

This success has not come out of nothing and I am aware that it has taken careful planning and several brain storming meetings of K.K Sarpong and his Kitchen cabinet to come to this stage. I am aware that K.K’s plan was to win the league title this season and make a foray in Africa next season while maintaining the winning of the league.

So according to the plan, Kotoko would want to win the league title in the next three seasons since in the first year of going to Africa, it is not expected that we will have enough quality and experience to lift the Africa trophy but that should be the plan for the second and third years.

The challenge we have though is how to keep a good team together and prevent them from their ever thinking plan of going abroad which makes it difficult to build a winsome side that will have the quality to conquer Africa.

Actually if one looks at the Berekum Chelsea team, playing together for just two seasons is what is showing and though they have no experience in Africa they have at least equaled Kotoko’s record of scoring five goals in an Africa cup game. It gives them a lot of cushion for the second leg.

This is because we all know that going to North Africa is no easy matter. I wish them the best and it will be interesting to see how they manage playing away from the Berekum park since I doubt if CAF will allow them to play the league stage at Berekum.

So back to Kotoko and the plan to reestablish itself on the African continent and play in the champion’s league proper for the first time. So far things are going well but I am aware that funding is becoming a huge problem.

One will say Kotoko has so many sponsors now, probably unprecedented in the history of the club. We have Interplast, puma, everpure, smart TV, and still working on some more. What should be happening is that the amounts being given by these companies should be increased to enable us survive and do what we can to ensure we strengthen the team and propel it to the heights.

Even the recurrent expenditure of the team for the local team is no joke with salaries, bonuses, transport  etc. it can be nightmarish and without the necessary funding, I am afraid things will crumble right under our feet.

Today I am positive that funding may be one of the problems that has dropped a team like Arsenals to the bottom of the league. I have no evidence but I believe it is not quality of players per se but a pure case of funding.

I would not want to see K.K become a pauper after his stint with Kotoko and it is important that all is done to ensure that the appropriate sustainable funding is secured for the team to continue winning the league and make the necessary impact in Africa.

One trip to North Africa alone can easily cost the club USD 50,000 and gate proceeds alone in a return leg will not be able to clear just the recurrent expenditure. Even these days the fans are not packing the stadium the way they should so it is a worrying sign.

We need to be able to pay the players enough decent salaries that will make it unnecessary to go to countries like Azabarjain, Armenia and the like whose standard of football is probably below our but just because of a few dollars.

We currently have a good side but we need to make it a fearsome side and conquer Africa like what our rivals did in 2000. It is very doable and we have the quality to do it with a few additions as we go along but only a consistent sustainable funding plan will do the trick.

As supporters, our is to ensure that we go to the stadium when we play at home to fill it and give K.k and his team the much needed funds to run the club. They have shown that they can do it so let us support them.

Why is violence creeping back into our game? Kwesi, I beg you need to check this. The FA is already struggling with sponsorship and the pockets of violence popping everywhere is not good for the image of the game and will further make the sponsorship issue a bigger problem. You need to work on stamping it out.

I remain your true red fabulous aficionado.

Kotoko Beku Me.