Asante Kotoko head coach Eric Tinkler has expressed concern over the condition of football pitches in Ghana, saying poor playing surfaces are making it difficult for his team to implement its preferred style of football.
The South African coach made the comments after Kotoko defeated Heart of Lions 1-0 in a pre-season friendly at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium on Tuesday.
Tinkler, who has previously managed South African clubs including Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United, said the conditions in Ghana were significantly different from what he was accustomed to in his home country.
“It hasn’t been easy obviously; conditions are very different from what you find in South Africa,” Tinkler told the media.
“As you are well aware, the standard of the pitches are not great, which obviously makes it much harder for the players.”
The 55-year-old explained that the condition of the playing surfaces was particularly challenging for a team seeking to build its game around possession and passing.
“We want to try and play a possession-based game and on pitches like this, it becomes very, very difficult.”
However, Tinkler insisted that his players could not use the poor pitches as an excuse and would instead have to adapt to the conditions they encounter.
“What we can’t do is to use it as an excuse; it’s our reality, and we have to adapt,” he added.
Tinkler was appointed Kotoko head coach earlier in the off-season following a disappointing 2025/26 campaign in which the Porcupine Warriors finished eighth in the Ghana Premier League.
The former Orlando Pirates coach has been tasked with rebuilding the Kumasi-based club and improving its fortunes ahead of the new campaign.
Kotoko will open their 2026/27 Ghana Premier League campaign away against newly promoted Debibi United.
Before the league begins, however, the Porcupine Warriors will face arch-rivals Hearts of Oak in the 2026 Democracy Cup as part of their preparations for the new season.
