Osei Boateng, the goalkeeper for Kumasi Asante Kotoko in the club’s CAF Cup Winners Cup grand finale against Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco on Sunday, December 8th, 2002, is now a coach.
On Friday, April 21st, 2023, a graduation ceremony was held at Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence, and the standout shot-stopper was spotted, which revealed that he served as a course leader upon further investigation.
The dependable goalkeeper joined Kumasi Asante Kotoko from Accra Great Olympics during the tenure of Kotoko’s Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Mensah’s term for the Porcupine Warriors.
In terms of local football, the agile goalkeeper has seen it all, citing the number of Ghanaian clubs where he has kept their goalpost. The exploits of Osei Boateng at the goalpost benefited top clubs such as Heart of Lions, Great Olympics, Bofoakwa Tano, King Faisal, and Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
Osei Boateng was recognised in the Black Starlets’ goalpost during the FIFA U-17 World Championship in Egypt in 1997, in which Ghana lost the final game against Brazil at the Cairo International Stadium.
Osei Boateng was the preferred first-choice goalkeeper for the late Emmanuel Kwesi Afranie during the 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship. The goalkeepers for Ghana were Gariba Abubakari of Afienya United and Osei Boateng, who later played for Kumasi Asante Kotoko, manned the goalposts for the duration of the tournament, conceding six goals.
The coaching certificate course exposed participants to different aspects of football coaching, such as team management, player development, tactics, and strategies, among other critical areas that the goalkeeper’s trainer for Accra Lions has been well equipped to administer in his coaching career.
The total number of graduates at Prampram was 29, including notable individuals such as former Asante Kotoko player Frank Boateng and two female coaches, Rhoda Owusu, formerly of Berry Ladies, and Rita Dwamena of Prison Ladies.
Prosper Harrison Addo, the General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), was the honoured guest at the graduation ceremony last Friday, making the occasion more formal.
