The management of Kumasi Asante Kotoko says it is having a great deal of difficulty accepting the shooting of one of its fans by a police officer.
The club added in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer that while it vehemently condemned any “unruly” acts by its fans, it is extremely displeased with the shooting.
“Hooliganism is one thing that no club wants to be associated with and we at Asante Kotoko will not endorse any such thing. We are saddened that the reaction of some of the disappointed fans after the match led to reprehensible developments including the shooting of an innocent supporter”
The police have commenced investigations into the incident and have interdicted the officer who shot the Kotoko fan.
The club says it will work with the police in their investigations as they “continue to seek medical attention” for the fan.
They also appealed to their fans to stay calm despite their agitations over the result and the ensuing violence.
Dark day in Kumasi
The match itself ended 1-0 to Chelsea, with Kofi Owusu getting the only goal of the game.
However, it wasn’t the result that was the last thing on most minds after the game.
Fans of the Porcupine Warriors were upset about a decision by the referee which resulted in defender Dacosta being sent off.
The crowd felt that the referee had erroneously given Dacosta the card as they believed the initial incident had involved another of their players, Kwame Adom and an opposing player.
The yellow card flashed by the referee to Dacosta proved costly, however, as he was already on a card.
A number of Kotoko fans started throwing items including water bottles onto the pitch.
The match was held up for a number of minutes as officials tried to regain control of the crowd, resulting in eight minutes of added time after 90 minutes had been played.
There are reports of violence at the Baba Yara Stadium during the Ghana Premier League game between Kotoko and Berekum Chelsea.
A fan has reportedly been shot #CitiSports pic.twitter.com/vYjCE4CFRX
— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) January 12, 2020
Fans, however, resumed throwing objects on the pitch, with a few managing to gain access to the inner perimeters of the stadium before being chased back by security.
Some videos showed some of the Kotoko players pleading with the fans to stop.
