Afful Cries For Pardon

KOTOKO'S LEFT full back, Harrison Afful, who was red-carded for descent in the club's eighth-week league encounter with King Faisal at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi last Wednesday has called on the club's supporters to forgive him, promising not to repeat the unwarranted act.

Afful's early exit from the game adversely affected Kotoko on the day as they had to play above themselves to hold a King Faisal team which was determined to carry the day.

Although the game ended in a stalemate, Afful thinks his expulsion from the game denied Kotoko a possible victory.

Speaking in an interview with Bright Kankam of Angel FM on Thursday, the unassuming Afful said, “I am very sorry for what I did which cost Kotoko dearly and I promise not to do that again.”

He was hopeful that Kotoko supporters would forgive him and continue to support him both physically and spiritually, stressing that he had learnt his lesson from the red-card incident.

Afful who has been invited to join the senior national team, the Black Stars in preparation for the Ghana 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, attributed his rapid progress in the game to Kotoko, saying “Kotoko has propelled me to the top so soon”.

He promised his fans that when given the chance to feature for the Black Stars he would play his heart out to make them proud of him, and called on football loving fans to pray for him.

In the game, a 10-man Kotoko squad put up a brave performance to hold King Faisal to a pulsating goalless drawn game.

Kotoko who were playing away were reduced to 10 men in the 17th minute when Afful was given the marching-off orders by Referee Charles Dowuna for hitting King Faisal's Ebo Enoch.

But King Faisal failed woefully to make good use of their numerical advantage as Kotoko marched them boot-for-boot in every department of the game, especially in the second half.

King Faisal who was clearly on top in the first half squandered the few decent chances that came their way to the surprise of their followers.

Kotoko lifted up their game in the second half but the Faisal defencemen had answers to all the incursions made into their half by the Kotoko attacking line-up led by Eric Bekoe, who has failed to score in the last three games.From Fred J. A. Ibrahim Jnr., Kumasi.