Fans hold Kotoko hostage

Irate Kumasi Asante Kotoko supoporters yesterday held players of the club hostage for the third time this season in protest against their harrowing 0-3 humiliation by visiting Berekum Chelsea in their  First Capital Plus Premier league match at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

Chelsea shocked the defending champions at home big time, compelling the home fans to react strongly similar to what happened earlier in the season against Algeria’s El  Eulma in the CAF Champions League last April and Liberty Professionals recently at Dansoman.

The abysmal performance of the players left the supporters with no other option than to boo them as they left the pitch for the dressing room.

So stunned were the fans and club officials that most of them were stuck to their seats long after the final whistle.

Reeling from the effect of the defeat, their heaviest at home this season, it took Coach David Duncan and his technical team close to five minutes to leave the dugout to join the players to the dressing room.

A brace from Kofi Owusu and another goal from Asiwome Fumador wrapped up the three maximum points for the former champions.

It was an afternoon full of drama as the visitors were forced to substitute their number one keeper, Michael Sai, in the 20th minute following an aerial collision with former teammate Obed Owusu.

After scoring the second goal in the 78-minute, Chelsea players resorted to delay tactics by falling down at the least contact.

Even before the end of the first half when Chelsea were leading 1-0, fight broke out in the stands and the police on duty had to rescue one supporter whose shirt was drenched in blood from a bad head injury.

Hearts of Oak’s recent slump continued yesterday as they suffered a 0-1 loss to Aduana Stars at the Agyemang Badu park at Dormaa-Ahenkro.

Richard Arhin’s first half goal was enough to give Aduana all three points as the Phobians’ downward slide continued, with the team sinking into the relegation zone lying in 14th plce on the league log.

In Accra, Peter Sarbah reports that Referee Ali Alhassan needed a police escort to escape from angry Bechem United players who charged on him after losing 1-2 to Great Olympics.

The angry players and some technical team members had to be restrained by other players and some officials from assaulting the referee after he awarded a penalty to Olympics in the 88th minute which ensured victory for the homesters.

Bechem United were not happy with the penalty decision but substitute Kwame Boateng scored from the spot.

Godwin Attram shot Olympics into the lead in the fifth minute when he displaced goalkeeper Ernest Adu in the Bechem post with a well-taken freekick.

But Bechem returned from the second half with a more positive attitute and pressed took the game to the home side until Issa Adamu scored the equaliser in the 47th minute.