The former Bafana Bafana captain, who was appointed Kotoko coach in July on a two-year contract, brought his short-lived tenure to an end after just four Ghana Premier League matches.
Tinkler disclosed the reason for his departure in an emotional farewell message to the players following Kotoko’s disappointing 0-2 defeat to Aduana FC at the Baba Yara Stadium last Sunday.
He explained that his decision had been taken before the Aduana game and was not influenced by the defeat or the team’s recent performances.
“You would have been told this morning about me resigning in a statement from the club. That is entirely true, I have handed my resignation, but it is very important for me to tell you it had nothing to do with performance, it had nothing to do with the result yesterday,” Tinkler told the players.
The 56-year-old coach said he had already informed the club of his intention to leave the previous week but agreed to remain in charge for the Aduana game.
“This was a decision I had already made last week and obviously the chairman, Stanley and myself, we’ve managed to keep that very quiet. The request was that I stay until this game, which is exactly what happened,” he said.
Tinkler admitted that his decision was driven by an opportunity to return to his native South Africa for what he described as a good offer.
“This is the world of football. I was given a good offer to go back to a club in South Africa and that is the main reason why I’ve made the decision that I have,” he said.
“Football, one day you are here, the next day you can be up there.”
Tinkler’s departure comes as a major surprise given that he had only recently taken charge of the Porcupine Warriors and was expected to lead the club for the next two seasons.
The South African coach, however, insisted that his exit should not be interpreted as a reaction to Kotoko’s results, stressing that the decision had already been made before the club’s defeat to Aduana.
His departure leaves assistants Diogo Peral and Hamza Obeng with the responsibility of guiding the team as Kotoko continue their Premier League campaign.
