Kumasi Asante Kotoko Sporting Club captain Samba “O’Neil” Gilbani has apologized to fans of the Porcupine Warriors after the club’s heavy defeat to Wydad Athletic Club.
Kotoko lost 5-1 to the Moroccan side in the second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup tie; Gilbani scored what turned out to be the consolation goal for Kotoko in the 18th minute.
The result gave the Moroccan side a 6-1 win on aggregate after the Casablanca based team picked up a 1-0 win in the first leg that was played in Accra.
Prior to the contest, Wydad announced the signing of former Chelsea, Ajax Amsterdam and Galatasaray winger Hakim Ziyech on a free transfer; he didn’t feature in the win over Kotoko. (Click highlighted text to read full story)
Smashing Kotoko qualifies Wydad to the Confederation Cup group stage while Kotoko’s exit means that no Ghana club will be present in the continental championships moving forward after Bibiani Gold Stars got eliminated in the first round of the CAF Champions League by Algeria’s JS Kabylie.
4️⃣–1️⃣ Wydad! Zemraoui on target! 🔴⚪#DimaWydad pic.twitter.com/HwCL75iJeF
— Wydad Athletic Club (@WACofficiel) October 24, 2025
In the wake of the humiliating loss, Kotoko captain Samba O’Neil apologized on behalf of his teammates to the fans stating,
“It is difficult to take but we apologise to our fans. We need to keep our head up and win both the League [Ghana] and FA Cup to compensate for this loss.”
The skipper reacts to our defeat. #AKSC #Fabucensus #Kotoko4All pic.twitter.com/vU4UHb5fsy
— Asante Kotoko SC – 2X CAF CL Winners🥇 (@AsanteKotoko_SC) October 24, 2025
Kotoko are the defending MTN FA Cup champions and take on bitter rivals Accra Hearts of Oak on November 9.
