Ghana premier league giants Kumasi Asante kotoko will not hurriedly return to the pitch sooner than August, according to the club’s Head of Communications Obed Acheampong.
The Porcupine Warriors team bus carrying the first team squad and club officials suffered a fatal accident on Wednesday, July 12 in Nkawkaw en route to Kumasi after their 1-0 defeat to Inter Allies in week 22 of the premier league in Accra.
Kotoko has since not resumed playing after the accident which claimed the life of assistant equipment officer,Thomas Obeng Asare instantly, leaving several players with injurious wounds including fractured legs of manager Steve Polack, team manager Godwin Ablordey, requiring surgeries.
With two matches against arch rivals Accra Hearts of Oak at home and a decisive visit to Sogakope against coach Rasmusen’s WAFA currently declared outstanding and counting, several clubs in the league including the Phobian fanbase have called for immediate return of Kotoko to the playing field, or the league is suspended until the accident victims get ready to resume the play.
Responding to the seeming genuine concerns raised, Asante Kotoko Head of Communications, Obed Acheampong has maintained that the players including technical members are not medically fit to resume playing anytime soon.
“Our head coach Polack and team manager Godwin Ablordey will need about a month to fully recover, even the bench is affected. We are awaiting reports from our medical staff, but even from layperson’s view we would need about three weeks more, somewhere mid-August to have a set of 23 players ready to play’’, he told Kumasi based FOX FM.
The record 23 times champions of the premier league who had gone nine matches unbeaten before falling 1-0 to Inter Allies last week, currently sits 4th on the league table with 35 points, just 8 points adrift leaders WAFA, making them serious contenders for the title with 7 matches left.
This has left many warning for a halt of the league to prevent any potential malfeasance that could give the mourning warriors undue advantage over their competitors in the title race.
Club officials however maintains that there will be no rushing back into action until the playing body is medically and psychologically declared fit to play.
By: Stephen Tetteh
