Newly appointed Asante Kotoko head coach, Mariano Barreto, has said his decision to join the club is to guide the side to the Caf Champions League finals.
The Portuguese was named as the new coach of the Ghana Premier League powerhouse last week on a one-and-half-year deal.
Barreto took over the club from interim trainer Johnson Smith and Abdul Gazele who had both been in charge of the club since the sacking of Maxwell Konadu in December last year.
Speaking to the club’s website, Barreto revealed that Chief Executive Officer of the club, Nana Yaw Amponsah’s grand plan of returning Kotoko to the summit of African football was the turning point for him.
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“When Nana [Yaw Amponsah] told me about his plan to take Kotoko back into the CAF Champions League final, I just knew I wanted to be part of the project,” he said.
Kotoko’s last appearance in a continental final was in 2004, in the CAF Confederation Cup, with their last triumph on the continent coming in 1983.
Barreto is set to take charge of his first game as Asante Kotoko coach, when the Porcupine Warriors take on Karela United on April 2.
Kotoko finished the first round of the 2020/21 Ghana Premier League in the 4th position with 27 points with a game in hand.