We’ll qualify for next round – Sylvester
By: Jerome Otchere

 25th March 2008

Chairman Sylvester Asare-Owusu has said that Kumasi Asante Kotoko would have two strong advantages when it hosts Nigerian side Wikki Tourist at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on April 6, 2008.

He says the club was determined to excel in Africa and that management would therefore clear all impediments to make the team’s run in Africa a smooth one.  

The Porcupine Warriors last Saturday battled Wikki Tourists to a thrilling 2-2 draw in the northern Nigerian state of Bauchi.

The hard working Kotoko Chairman believes that though football could be unpredictable, the Nigerians would have no chance of winning against Kotoko in the return encounter. “Against all odds we were able to draw 2-2 away. We could have even won the game. They were playing at home. They had some advantages which we did not have. Their fans were there in their numbers. It was their home but we held them to a comfortable 2-2 draw. It is good for us” the Chairman told me shortly after arrival at the Kotoka International Airport on Sunday.

“The pitch did not help our play and back home in Kumasi some of these disadvantages will not be there. Our supporters will be there apart from playing on a good pitch” he added. Though the Nigerians will also be playing on the same pitch, it is significant to note that Kotoko’s game plan usually turns bad when they play on terrible pitches as it would be recalled that the team had a difficult time against Berekum Arsenal on the horribly uneven pitch at the Golden City Park.

The Chairman maintained that Kotoko is poised for a great performance in the return leg. He said nothing would stop the Porcupine Warriors from qualifying for the next round of the competition. On the basis of Kotoko’s excellent show in Bauchi, the task of making it to the next round will not be particularly difficult. With the 2-2 score line recorded in the first leg of the 1/16thh stage, the fabulous boys will advance to the quarter final stage of the competition if they win the second leg by any margin or in the most unlikely event have a favourable drawn game.

In spite of this truth, Chairman Sylvester Asare-Owusu said management would not take anything for granted. He stressed that the best of preparations would be made ahead of the match which is expected to attract a good number of spectators for very obvious reasons. The Porcupine Warriors have not honoured any competitive African club match at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium for a couple of years now. Given the team’s fine performance both on the domestic and international level, staunch Kotoko followers would not want to miss this Confederation Cup tie in the first week of April.

The Kotoko Chairman indicated that management is committed to achieving the best for the club saying “We are committed to the good work we started. We assure our supporters that we will do the best for Kotoko as time goes on” he said. As Kotoko trekked to Nigeria over the weekend, there were reports that the team was not treated fairly. Chairman Sylvester Asare-Owusu confirmed those reports despite concluding that everything went well in Nigeria.

“Our only bother was the treatment in Lagos. The hotel given to us there was not up standard.

 It is an understatement to say it was not good enough. That hotel was not fit for a junior side. That was our only bother. We managed to put those setbacks behind us to honour the match” he said.