Maxwell Konadu dumps Bashir Hayford at Legon Cities
THE head coach of Legon Cities, Bashir Hayford, has accused Coach Maxwell Konadu of masterminding the club's decision to sideline him with just two matches to end the season.
Last week, the Black Starlets coach was drafted into the Royals' set-up to augment the technical team of the Accra-based club, resulting in a conflict which eventually sidelined the substantive coach for the rest of the season.
Advertisement
According to Graphic Sports investigations, Coach Hayford was compelled to take a mandatory one-month leave as stated in his contract, following a misunderstanding which ensued between the two coaches at a meeting held last week.
A livid Coach Hayford told Graphic Sports in an exclusive interview last Friday that the posture of his junior colleague at that meeting left him with no option than to take his one-month leave, pending the determination of his future by the management of the club in the coming days.
Explaining further, Coach Hayford expressed his shock over Konadu's haste to gleefully jump at the opportunity to take over Legon Cities when he knew there were only two games left to end the season.
The veteran coach revealed that Coach Konadu openly told management of his unwillingness to work with him (Hayford) because he (Konadu) would feel uncomfortable working alongside a senior colleague.
''If you knew I am a senior coach, why did you accept the job with only two matches left?
"Why don't you allow your senior to even finish the season? That's what I will do; I don't jump into jobs like that,'' a visibly upset Hayford, aka Coach Bash, lamented.
He said by refusing to work together with him, Konadu, invariably, was telling management to get rid of him. However, he said he was not perturbed by the latest development and would, therefore, wait for management to take its final decision before deciding on his next step.
''They (management) said they had added him to the technical team and that he should play the two matches left. Even to help him to train he said I was a senior coach and he could not train with me standing there.
''I think my face is intimidating because he said I was a senior coach and that he gave me that respect and so he wouldn't feel happy. So indeed, if you are given a job and in my presence you say this then you are telling them you cannot work with me and that they should sack me,” Coach Hayford noted.
He said after coaching 13 clubs in the country, he had had all the experience and also understood the hazards of the job, but despite what had happened he would still not quit unless management told him they were no longer interested in his services because he respected his contract with the club.
''I am waiting for the two matches, and after that they will review the season.
"If they review it and I have not done well... well, coaches are hired and fired," he said. and added: "Even in my presence that's what Konadu told me that coaches are hired and fired."
He also expressed deep shock about the club's latest decision at a time he had already laid down his plans for next season, which he believed, could have transformed the club into a formidable side.
''Upon all that I have done, including planning (I've started planning for the future...), I told them to allow me to take these boys for pre-season to prepare them for the league and they will see the difference,'' he recalled.
Meanwhile, Coach Konadu has defended his decision not to work with Coach Hayford due to the tensed atmosphere it could generate.
''Imagine me still being around Kotoko while Barreto is still working; how will the atmosphere be like? Konadu asked when Graphic Sports contacted him for his reaction last Saturday.
