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The story of a coach gone AWOL at Medeama SC

Medeama technical director, Adotey baffled by Tom Strand's behavior

The Swedish trainer came to the venue with a taxi and not his official Toyota highlander. After a few exchange of pleasantries, he took a place behind the wiring mesh close to the goal post to observe the game contrary to the inner perimeter where coaches operates from.

Strand has absconded from training and two league games against Inter Allies on Wednesday and Wa All Stars on Sunday. In his place, technical director of the Mauves and Yellow, Augustine Evans Adotey supervised the team to amass six points to lift them from bottom.

Adotey, who is also the head coach for Ghana's U17 female team, Black Maidens chronicled the flow of happenings to Pulse.com.gh.

"I have nothing to say except that I knew of Medeama traveling from Dormaa to Tarkwa, Tom Strand was not with us on the trip back to Tarkwa. We got to Tarkwa Tom Strand was nowhere to be found. I did my enquiries his phone was off. We tried until I was compelled to take over against Inter Allies. After the game, the next day he was nowhere. He later on called me and said he was around.

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"I even invited him to come and take over (against Wa All Stars), he came to training last evening (Saturday) but it wasn't his plan to take over the team. He just came around. We were just looking at him whether he was ready to take over. Looking at the situation I jumped in again and took the boys on until you saw the same Adotey with the team. So I don't know what is transpiring. You need to enquire from Mospaka (Moses Armah). He is the president of the club," he said.

The occurrence of this back and forth event has been pointed to the club's refusal to allow Strand pursue his ambition to coach Hearts of Oak or Asante Kotoko following the strong bids from the two local giants at different occasions. At other times too, Strand feels his authority as head coach has been limited with references to his bench stopping him to effect substitutions during matches.

Such behaviour in professional settings basically evokes punishments, and despite being the superior to the Swedish, Evans Adotey intimates that punitive measures resides in the bosom of the management and not with him.

"I am not in the capacity to take certain decisions or actions against the behaviour of Tom Strand, it is up to management. Mine is as a technical director I need to guide my head coach, I need to ensure that the right structure and things are put in place because he is an expatriate. He doesn't have an idea in our system of play so mine is to guide him and not to impose my powers on him. But if he decides not to show up or to show interest in coaching the team, well we have assistant coaches, I am there as well, we need to keep on going."

This weekend, Medeama will switch attention to continental ambition in the CAF Confederation Cup play-offs against Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria, South Africa. Adotey reckons it is important that Tom Strand returns to his post for the match.

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"Today I saw him around so right from here I will have to chase him and find out because going to South Africa, it is his duty to ensure that he goes with the team. I have recommended that he travels with the team except that he also needs to come out and show himself boldly that he is ready for the trip. I need him why not, I need him."

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