Kumasi Asante Kotoko, one of Ghana’s greatest local teams and two-time CAF Champions League winners has cleared its stance on considering participation in the continental inter-club competition, CAF Champions League.
The Asante Kotoko football club has confirmed its participation in the 2020 – 2021 CAF Champions League, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has announced on its official website on Monday.
The news puts to bed three months (3) of uncertainty about potential involvement in continental inter-club football next term.
The Porcupine Warriors were handed Ghana’s ticket for the competition in early June this year following the premature termination of the 2019-20 football season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ordinarily, the team that emerged winner in the Ghana Premier League (GPL) would have won the nod.
The confirmation is on the back of a letter sent to the club on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 to confirm their engagement in next season’s CAF inter-club competition whiles Kotoko’s confirmation was contained in a letter dated September 7, 2020, signed by CEO, Yaw Amponsah and sent to the GFA.
The club is expected to go through the mandatory Club Licensing Process as set out in the GFA and CAF Club Licensing Regulations.
Engagement and registration for the 2020/2021 CAF inter-club competition was opened on September 1, 2020 and will be closed on October 20, 2020.
It will be a second straight appearance in the Champions League by Kotoko following its involvement last term.
On the last outing, the team’s campaign was ended in the first round by a loss to Tunisian side Etoile Sahel while its participation in the upcoming event had been cast in doubt due to coronavirus conditions, with many expressing safety concerns.
“Such decisions are normally taken by the Board of Directors, Management and Technical Term”, former Kotoko Captain, Amos Frimpong told Hello FM, a Kumasi based radio station.
He recounted the era of Coach CK Akonnor where they were not active but the Management took a bold decision for them to represent Ghana. “We even exceeded our target by qualifying for the group stage”.
According to him, they seem to have the same situation at the moment so if the leadership assesses the strength of the team and decides to play in Africa, it is in the right direction.
The former Captain argued that when the team plays in Africa, it raises the value of the players where some even get better offers for the club to earn income and so if the Board decides to allow the team to take the opportunity, it was good.
