Former Asante Kotoko speedster Michael Osei known in football circles as ‘Ember’ has blamed Coach Hans Dieter Schmidt for their ‘painful’ 2004 Confederation Cup final defeat to bitter rivals Hearts of Oak.
The Porcupine Warriors were beaten 8-7 on penalties after tying 2-2 on aggregate in front of their home fans at the Baba Yara Stadium.
After Kotoko’s defeat to Hearts, the major talking point in the country was Schmidt’s game management and was largely criticized for the loss with the substitution of Kotoko’s best performers on the field, Charles Taylor and Michael Osei.
Touching on the confederations cup final that they (Kotoko) lost to Hearts, he attributed their defeat to their coach Hans-Dieter Schmidt.
Speaking to Angel FM in Kumasi he said, “It was Dieter Smith fault that’s why we didn’t win the trophy but I will not blame him that much because from the onset in the competition that was he was doing. He allow us to do the job and then at the dying embers of the game you will see him introducing midfielders”
“Hearts of Oak wouldn’t have won the trophy if I had finished playing the game. I knew we were going to lose the game when he decided to take me off the pitch. My presence on the filed prevented Amankwa Mireku and Dan Quaye to serge forward. Why do you have to change me? He quizzed.
“I’m still baffled that we couldn’t break the record of the 1982 squad”
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Sylvester Ntim
