Kotoko supporter caught with 'juju'

... at Hearts match Koforidua, April 20, GNA - A man identified by Hearts supporters as a Kotoko supporter was caught at the Koforidua Sports Stadium with juju materials during the Hearts-Hotspurs match. A group of Hearts supporters at the match said they suspected foul play due to the queer behaviour of the man whose name was not given and when they searched him, they found a list of Hearts players and a padlock tied together with a red band. The Hearts supporters set fire to the juju near the main gate of the stadium and as soon as the object began to burn, Anthony Annan scored the equaliser for the defending champions to reinforce their belief that the object prevented the Hearts players from playing well. Though tension mounted among the irate Hearts supporters, the goal calmed their nerves and no harm was done to the juju man. Hearts scored the second goal via a penalty in the 78th minute to win the match, leaving many of the fans to wonder if the lethargic performance of the players in the first half was indeed the result of the juju. Visiting Berekum Arsenals defeated Okwahu United by a lone goal in the GT Premier League match played at the renovated Nkawkaw Park on Wednesday. The Okwahu team made up of young, inexperienced players kicked-off and mounted pressure on Arsenals for the greater part of the first half but their attackers failed to utilise the numerous scoring chances they created. Arsenal made two changes in the 50th and 53rd minutes when Seth Opoku and Ernest Boatchie went in for defender Amu Adomah and attacker Eric Adu Poku to enhance their attacking machinery. The attackers of Arsenal comprising Alex Asamoah, and James Boadu, with their inter-positional play and accurate passes, made series of incursions into the Okwahu vital area.
It therefore came as a mater of course when the visitors took the lead in the 71st minute through Asamoah, when he capitalised on a defensive blunder by the Okwahu defence.
The goal stunned the large army of Okwuhu supporters who turned out to watch the match and most of them failed to leave the Park when Tema-based class one referee Patrick Aziza whistled for the end of the match.
They pointed accusing fingers at the technical bench for recruiting inexperienced players, culminating in a home defeat for the soccer mountaineers. Kotoko Beat RTU Kumasi Asante Kotoko beat Tamale Real United (RTU) 2-1 in the GT Premier league match played in Kumasi.
Kotoko, who needed a win to appease their teeming supporters, nearly took the lead in the first minute but Isaac Oppong wasted Nana Arhin Duah's cross.
Still fighting for the lead, a chance came in the sixth minute but Arhin Duah fumbled with only goalkeeper Michael Abu to beat while Nasiru Ghani also shot wide in the 13th minute.
Ghani however connected home a pass from Douglas Nkrumah in the 16th minute to atone for his earlier miss.
RTU accepted the challenge and played it hard, earning a corner kick before the half hour mark but the kick taken by Hamza Mohammed was wasted while Akwasi Soale also shot wide in the 38th minute. Akwasi Owusu of Kotoko nearly made it two but his shot was parried to corner to end the half.
On resumption, RTU brought in Philip Amoako for Nurudeen Wemah and turned the heat on Kotoko, forcing the homers to play defensive. This forced some of the angry supporters of Kotoko who were not happy with the run of play to threaten to beat Major Yaw Larsen (rtd), Chief Executive of Kotoko, thus compelling him to leave the stadium for safety.
Kotoko brought in Ali Ouadrago for Isaac Oppong in the 58th minute to strengthen their attack while RTU also replaced Gafaru Abdulai with Alhassan Weah in the 64th minute.
With Kotoko players not clicking upfront and with the midfield broken, RTU equalised on the lapses in the 68th minute to even scores through Akwasi Soale.
From then on, RTU piled pressure on Kotoko, forcing the players to make mistakes and this forced supporters of Kotoko to chant for the visitors, while others hauled insults and accusations on coach Malik Jabir.
Kotoko however managed to make it 2-1 in the 74th minute when a perfect cross from Arhin Duah was finished off by Dan Acquah. Kotoko substituted Edmund Owusu-Ansah for Dan Acquah in the 76th minute and Ghani nearly made it 3-1 but his shot missed narrowly. RTU also replaced Tawfiq Alolo with Gilbert Ayikade in the 77th. Kotoko made their last substitution in the 83rd minute with Sam Addo taking over from Akwasi Owusu but the change did not change the pattern of play until the final whistle.