AfricaFootball

We executed plan to stop Kwara United’s danger man- Kotoko’s Karim Zito

By Emmanuel Austin Baah
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Head coach of Kumasi Asante Kotoko Sporting Club, Abdul Karim Zito, has stated that stopping Kwara United midfielder John Mark Shirsha Aule was a key point in his plan to beat the Nigerian team.

He said this in a post-game presser after Kotoko beat Kwara United 1-0 in Nigeria to progress to the second round of the CAF Confederation Cup.

Kotoko largely struggled defensively in Ghana to record a 4-3 win in the first leg but delivered a stout defensive performance in the return leg to progress via a 5-3 aggregate win.

Aside keeping it tight in defence, Karim Zito pointed to mapping out a plan to stop midfielder John Mark from dictating the pace of the game as a key component in his team’s win.

“The plan was to stop him- John Mark- from playing and we were able to do that because he’s a good player.”

Kotoko celebrate in over Kwara United Photo Courtesy: AKSC

“If he was in Ghana, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a call up to the national team, I am telling you the truth.”

Shot from Kotoko (red) v Kwara United Game Photo Courtesy: AKSC

“He’s a key player so we had to plan against him so that he couldn’t play so we were tracking him throughout the game and he was substituted so we achieved our objective” Zito said.

Shot from Kotoko (red) v Kwara United Game Photo Courtesy: AKSC

Author

  • My name is Emmanuel Austin Baah, professionally known as “Okocha”. I am a seasoned Ghanaian journalist, broadcaster and football commentator from Senya Bereku in the Central Region. My work reflects a strong commitment to factual reporting, ethical journalism and the continuous promotion of Ghanaian sports.

    I am currently pursuing my studies at Cape Coast Technical University, building on a solid foundation of media practice and communication. I previously served as a sports producer at Radio Gold (90.5) and Montie FM (100.1) in Accra, where I was actively involved in editorial planning, programme production, live commentary and in-depth sports analysis.

    Presently, I am a Senior Writer at SportsNetGhana.com, a role in which I produce well-researched features, match reports, athlete profiles and analytical pieces. My work consistently highlights emerging talents, captures key sporting developments and contributes to shaping informed sports discourse in Ghana.

    Over the course of my career, I have covered numerous major sporting events both locally and internationally. Among these, the highlight remains my coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a significant milestone that strengthened my expertise in global football reporting and enhanced my understanding of international sports dynamics.

    I am widely recognised for my clarity of analysis, engaging commentary style and strong command of both local and global football trends. Beyond the newsroom, I participate in community initiatives aimed at developing young sports journalists and promoting youth engagement in sports.

    For professional engagements, media collaborations or enquiries, please contact me on 0265284330.

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Emmanuel Austin Baah 1201 posts 1 comments

My name is Emmanuel Austin Baah, professionally known as “Okocha”. I am a seasoned Ghanaian journalist, broadcaster and football commentator from Senya Bereku in the Central Region. My work reflects a strong commitment to factual reporting, ethical journalism and the continuous promotion of Ghanaian sports.

I am currently pursuing my studies at Cape Coast Technical University, building on a solid foundation of media practice and communication. I previously served as a sports producer at Radio Gold (90.5) and Montie FM (100.1) in Accra, where I was actively involved in editorial planning, programme production, live commentary and in-depth sports analysis.

Presently, I am a Senior Writer at SportsNetGhana.com, a role in which I produce well-researched features, match reports, athlete profiles and analytical pieces. My work consistently highlights emerging talents, captures key sporting developments and contributes to shaping informed sports discourse in Ghana.

Over the course of my career, I have covered numerous major sporting events both locally and internationally. Among these, the highlight remains my coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a significant milestone that strengthened my expertise in global football reporting and enhanced my understanding of international sports dynamics.

I am widely recognised for my clarity of analysis, engaging commentary style and strong command of both local and global football trends. Beyond the newsroom, I participate in community initiatives aimed at developing young sports journalists and promoting youth engagement in sports.

For professional engagements, media collaborations or enquiries, please contact me on 0265284330.

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