AshantiGold 04 chief executive officer Edward Kwasi Akuoko has explained that the club’s disappointing away performances and reported disagreements within the technical team led to the sudden dismissal of head coach Karim Zito and two members of his backroom staff.
The Ghana Premier League club announced on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, that Zito, assistant coach Ernest Okyere and goalkeepers’ trainer Robert Dabuo had been relieved of their duties with immediate effect. An interim technical team will manage the squad until a new head coach is appointed.
Explaining the decision, Akuoko said management was unwilling to lower its expectations simply because the club had recently secured promotion to the top flight. He stressed that the priority was to achieve consistent results rather than necessarily win the league title.
“As a serious club, you always want to win. I’m not a leader who always lowers expectations just because we are a newly promoted side. We are not saying we have to win the league at all costs, but we simply want consistent results. Our away performances have been poor,” he said.
Akuoko further disclosed that management had received reports suggesting strained relationships among members of the technical team, raising concerns about the possible impact on the club’s performances.
“The second reason is that, personally, I received reports that the technical team led by Karim Zito were not on good terms, and that could be affecting our results,” he added.
AshantiGold 04 have endured a mixed start to the 2026/27 Ghana Premier League campaign, recording three victories, three defeats and two draws in their opening eight matches.
The results have left the newly promoted side in 10th position on the league table with 11 points, a situation that has prompted management to make changes to its technical leadership in pursuit of improved performances.
The club must now prepare for its Matchday Nine encounter against Swedru All Blacks at the Swedru Stadium on Sunday, with kick-off scheduled for 3:00 p.m. GMT. The interim technical team will be tasked with guiding the players as AshantiGold seek to return to winning ways.
