By:

Date: 18-07-11

The leadership and members of the National Circles Council (NCC) – the official umbrella group of Kumasi Asante Kotoko supporters at its meetings held throughout last week have carefully studied and deliberated on the one year ban imposed on the club by the Ghana League Clubs Association (Ghalca) following the club’s boycott of the medal presentation after losing 6-7 on penalties to Berekum Chelsea in the President’s Cup match on July 1, 2011.

As previously reported, Kotoko unreservedly apologised for its behaviour, believing that it did not display the best of sportsmanship during the said match which had the Vice President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama in attendance.

The NCC thus endorses management's apology to His Excellency and the entire Ghanaian football fraternity.

However, the NCC unanimously rejects Ghalca’s indiscriminate action especially when it did not give the club any chance to respond appropriately to their query.

We hereby declare our total support of the stance taken by the club’s management vis-à-vis the unreasonably harsh Ghalca action and therefore indicate the following to our dear supporters:

•       That the Ghalca action has clearly exposed the deep-seated hatred some of their executives and the President’s Cup Planning Committee members have for Kotoko.

•      That by the public utterances of certain people within Ghalca, we suspect needless political influence in all that led to their unacceptable sanction.

•         That Ghalca has no power to treat Kotoko in the manner they have done; we believe the best they could have done was to refer our behaviour to the Ghana Football Association’s Disciplinary Committee for appropriate action to be taken against us if necessary.

Consequently, we are by this Press Release serving notice to all Kotoko supporters to stay away from all Ghalca related activities – namely their Top Four competition, the President’s Cup match, and anything with the name Ghalca attached to it.

We further advise our supporters to shun business firms and companies associated with Ghalca since by their relationship with the so-called club’s association; they all will not serve the interest of Kumasi Asante Kotoko Sporting Club.

We finally appeal to the management of the club to report Ghalca’s objectionable attitude to the Ghana Football Association, because we believe that the so-called league clubs association acted wrongly.

Signed:

Nana Kwame Dankwa

NCC Spokesman