After winning his first trophy as Asante Kotoko boss, South African coach Eric Tinkler has been urged to stop complaining about the pitches in Ghana.
Tinkler secured his first piece of silverware as Asante Kotoko coach this weekend, lifting the Democracy Cup after beating Hearts of Oak 4-1 on penalties.
Despite beginning his tenure with a trophy, Tinkler had made his feelings known about the state of the pitches in Ghana just a week earlier.
“It hasn’t been easy obviously conditions are very different from what you find in South Africa. As you are well aware, the standard of the pitches are not great which obviously makes it much harder for the players,” he said, according to Ghanaian outlet CitiSports.
However, those comments now appear to have prompted a response from one of his predecessors at Asante Kotoko, Karim Zito, who served as head coach during the 2025/26 campaign.
“Eric Tinkler needs to adjust himself to the situation here in Ghana. He should have taken the time to come down and assess the conditions before accepting the Asante Kotoko job,” Zito told Akoma FM.
“The same poor pitches he has been complaining about have given him a trophy, despite all the negativity surrounding the situation.
“I was happy for Tinkler yesterday. I remember when I won a cup, I also danced, so when I saw him celebrating, I saw a bit of myself in him. I was genuinely happy for him.”
