Asante Kotoko have confirmed in a statement that four of their players and four officials of the club have tested positive for coronavirus upon the team’s arrival at the Kotoka International Airport from Sudan on Friday.
The record Ghana Premier League winners traveled to Sudan to honour their Champions League last preliminary round second leg match against Al Hilal Omdurman on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, but the match was eventually called off after eight (8) players of the Porcupine Warriors were alleged to have tested positive for the novel covid-19. Asante Kotoko could therefore not raised the requisite number of 15 players out of the total of 22 players they’d traveled with.
According to the Kumasi based club, their covid-19 results of their players had been tempered with by their opponents and filed a protest to CAF through the GFA, but have since not been heard. The team finally arrived in Ghana on Friday afternoon after CAF had drawn them against Algerian side ES Setif in the Confederation Cup play-offs, signaling Asante Kotoko’s exit from the Champions League.
Upon arrival at the Kotoka International Airport on Friday, the Asante Kotoko contingent went through legally mandated covid-19 test at the airport, and this time, four of their players and four officials have been confirmed to have tested positive for the virus.
“Four players and four officials of Asante Kotoko test positive for Covid 19 upon our arrival at the Kotoka International Airport yesterday”, Asante Kotoko confirmed in a statement on Saturday. The affected persons, according to the club, are currently in mandatory isolation and receiving treatment by the covid response team of the state, and being supported by the club’s medical team.
Meanwhile, Kotoko maintains that five of their players and one club official who were alleged to have tested positive by Al Hilal following the initial tests in Sudan, have all tested negative after the subsequent two tests ran both in Sudan and in Ghana.
“It is however important to note, that five players including Kwame Opoku and one official who were alleged to have tested positive from the first test in Sudan have all tested negative from the subsequent two tests in the Military Hospital in Sudan and at the Kotoka International Airport”, the statement further stated.
The rest of the team have began training at the Teshie Military Park in Accra ahead of their Ghana Premier League match day 8 game against Liberty Professionals on Monday, January 11, 2021.
Below is the full statement by Asante Kotoko:
