Kotoko Debunks Bribery Allegations Leveled Against Club

Kumasi Asante Kotoko has debunked the bribery allegations leveled against the club concerning their match week 11 fixture against Regional rivals Obuasi Ashanti Gold in the Normalization Committee (NC) Special Competition.

The Porcupine Warriors has been today accused of offering a bribe to the match official that handled their 1-0 loss against the Miners at the Len Clay Sports Stadium on Sunday, May 12, 2019.

According to retired referee Robert Kakabo Mensah, an operation member of Asante Kotoko named Kofi Oduro 'Shishila' met with him to help him bribe match officials that were scheduled to handle the match between the regional rivals.

In an interview with Sunyani based Nimde3 FM, the referee narrated. “It's true that before the Ashanti Gold SC match with Kotoko, monies were given to the match officials by a Kotoko official. I was Techiman when the operations manager of Kotoko called 'Shishila' said he wants to meet the Referees for the match who were coming from Tamale”.

“He [Shishila] said he has money for the officials led by Referee Ali Alhassan, so a meeting should be held in Techiman since the referees said they can't meet us in Tamale after I called them”.

“Shishila came to Techiman with a Nissan Visen numbered AS 2988 - 18 to talk with that we can leave for Tamale to meet the referees for their match against Ashanti Gold”.

“We met the Referees at the Tamale STC yard and gave them an undisclosed amount of money which was in a black polythene bag. He gave me Ghc500 for helping him to meet the referees because he said his team needed the points badly”.

“After the match, he [Shishila] called me that he wants to retrieve his money from the referees because they failed to deliver as they promised. He called the referees also told them he needs his 8000 cedis because they couldn't help his side to beat Ashanti Gold”.

Reacting to the story, however, Communications Director for the Club Lawyer Sarfo Duku has stressed that the club never asked anyone to pay any money to the referees. He opines that Club Executive Chairman, Dr. Kwame Kyei has no knowledge of the news going round in the media.

“Dr. Kwame Kyei has asked me to tell the world he knows nothing about the issues going rounds and that he has sent no one. No official at Kotoko has sent Shishila to do what he is alleged to have done. Whoever is alleging must prove”, Lawyer Sarfo Duku said in an interview on Oyerepa FM.

The communications department of the club has additionally released a statement disassociating itself from the allegations.