Kotoko decides to maintain Accra Sports Stadium for CAF Champions League games

Ghana’s representative in the champions league, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, has made a U-turn on its decision to play its champion league games in Tamale, the Northern regional capital. 

Asante Kotoko in an official letter to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has decided to maintain the Accra Sports Stadium as their home ground for the CAF Champions League games.

Ahead of its last round of matches before the group stage, the club had wanted to play its fixture against Sudanese side, Al Hilal, on December 23, 2020, at the Aliu Mahama Stadium in Tamale.

But after careful consideration, the Porcupine Warriors have agreed that the Accra Sports Stadium will serve them best, especially because the government has refused to open the various stadia to spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Due to renovation works at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, Kotoko opted for the Accra Sports Stadium – the same home venue for four other teams including rivals Hearts of Oak.

The earlier decision to go to Tamale was conceived because the venue was seen as closer to Kumasi (the original home of Kotoko) than Accra and would have made financial sense to cut down the travel expenditure of the team.

The GFA had reached the final stages of approval of the Tamale Stadium for use by Kotoko before the club wrote back to reverse their earlier request.

The Porcupine Warriors progressed from the preliminary round to this stage without kicking a ball after Mauritanian side FC Noaudibou failed to raise a team for the second leg encounter due to coronavirus infections.

CAF in a statement stated Asante Kotoko progressed at the expense of FC Nouadibou because the latter failed to raise a team.

“The match was not played because the Mauritanian team could not meet the minimum number of players required by CAF due to the positive cases of COVID in the team. As a result, FC Nouadhibou were disqualified and Asante Kotoko automatically qualifies for the next round to meet Al Hilal”.

Asante Kotoko will first host the Sudanese giants here in Ghana at the Accra Sports Stadium in the first leg before heading to North Africa for the second leg next year.