Former Asante Kotoko and King Faisal CEO Herbert Mensah, is leading a new revolution at AshantiGold Sporting Club. Herbert, lead consultant for the Canary Islands based Fortia Limited, today sealed a purchase and takeover deal with AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana) Limited, at a ceremony at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra. Already there are hints of major changes at the premiership ‘gold nuggets’ with promises of revitalising AshantiGold and in some 48 months, “ensure that it reverts to the powerhouse it was years ago and move to its all concurring form on the African continent.” Read full Fortia Limited statement here. Ashanti Gold SC was founded in 1978 by a group of employees of the then Ashanti Goldfields Corporation, and from 1994 to 1996, won the newly introduced Premier League back-to-back. The club has since operated at the top of the Ghanaian league, albeit in the shadows of big boys Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko. It finished fifth at the end of the 2007/2008 league season won by regional rivals Asante Kotoko. Ashgold is hugely rated to be underachieving relative to its potential. Herbert previously led well acclaimed revolutions at Kotoko and King Faisal with exciting results and is also reputed to have pioneered a more scientific pre-season regime in the local league, away from the days when league clubs reassembled only with days to kick-off the season. Mr. Christian Rampa Ruhembwe, Vice President, AngloGold Ashanti (West Africa Division), said he was especially pleased to announce the ‘historic deal’, explaining that “AngloGold Ashanti is a mining company without any special skills in owning and running a football club. Soccer is now a business of its own right and the fact that we have been successful in achieving all these in the past does not mean that we can guarantee the future with the same success.” He paid tribute to past directors of the club, as well as supporters, for their various roles in bringing the club to its current status. Read full AngloGold statement here. Story by Isaac Yeboah