The J.A Kufuor Cup between regional rivals Asante Kotoko and Ashantigold ended under shocking circumstances on Sunday leaving fans livid after both teams had settled for 1-1 draw – with no winner declared.
Thousands of fans who watched the game at the Baba Yara Stadium were left shell-shocked after being denied a penalty-shoot out call to determine the winner of the epic game.
Organisers have come under line of fire in Kumasi after deciding against penalty shoot-out in favour of a ‘strange and unpopular’ second-leg call amid jeers following the announcement at the stadium.
Speedster Emmanuel Gyamfi opened the scoring for Kotoko against the run of play before Richard Djodi pulled parity for the miners to send the game into extra-time.
The extra-time failed to produce a winner, with an expectant crowd waiting for a shoot-out to climax the evening.
However,centre referee Maxwell Owusu and his assistant walked straight into the dressing,leaving players of both teams on the pitch.
The fans were left dumbfounded after the stadium announcer said the penalty shoot-out won’t go ahead, revealing a sudden second-leg tie in Obuasi to decide the tie.
The announcement erupted anger among the fans and appears to have marred what had been a spectacular football.
It’s unclear what went into the late decision, but was obvious the two teams were in the dark over the development.
The match was punctuated with some last minutes changes, leading to tussle between Ashantigold officials and the organisers.
The decision to head into an extra-time ruffled feathers after emerging it was not part of activities agreed during the pre-match conference.
Ashantigold chief executive Frederick Acheampong had to be persuaded to give-in after rejecting the late proposal.
It appears the organisers want to cash-in after being overwhelmed by the numbers at the Baba Yara stadium, announcing an unpopular late decision to play a reverse fixture in Obuasi.
