Communications Director of Accra Hearts of Oak, Kwame Opare Addo has refuted reports that the club’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Noonan said Asante Kotoko’s jersey is a China made.
Kotoko announced in October their partnership deal with Portuguese sportswear manufacturing company, STRIKE; which the firm is now the official producer of jerseys including replicas for the fans, bibs, tracksuit, bags and other training equipment for the club.
Hearts of Oak, on the other hand, are in contract with UMBRO, also a kit manufacturing firm that will be providing them with kits; but reports indicate that, despite Mark Noonan not mentioning Asante Kotoko, his comment was well-understood to mean that in terms of quality, their UMBRO kits are better than that of Kotoko’s STRIKE.
According to Opare on The Ultimate Sports Show on Asempa FM, the CEO didn’t mean what has been widely communicated because, even the name Kotoko was not mentioned.
“What they [FOX FM] asked him [Mark Noonan] was that, will Hearts of Oak use their replica jerseys for this coming tournament? And his comments were that, we are still deliberating on it. If we start the competition and along the line our new jerseys arrive, they [GFA] should allow us to use the new one.”
“Anybody who says Mark Noonan said Kotoko Jersey is a China made should produce the voice to shame me.” He said.