Communications Director of Asante Kotoko FC, Sarfo Duku, has condemned goalkeeper Mohammed Camara’s red card action in the first leg defeat to Wydad Athletic in the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round last Sunday.
Asante Kotoko were reduced to ten men while trailing by a goal to nil at the Accra Sports Stadium when the goalkeeper handled the ball with his hands outside the penalty box, prompting the referee to send him off as the last man.
Camara visibly pushed the referee in frustration after the red card, an action that could “attract further sanctions” if reported by the match officials.
Speaking to Luv FM, Sarfo Duku acknowledged the frustration in the game but expressed hope that it won’t happen again.
“I think the behaviour that you put up there was unsporting and quite unfortunate, because it could attract further sanctions from the football controlling body (CAF). Sometimes, when players are on the field and they get frustrated, some of these things will happen. I do not think that was the best way to have reacted. It’s bad,” he said.
He added: “We are still working on that. It’s not him alone. All the other players can go haywire on any day, but you can understand his frustration. Playing in front of your die-hard fans, the expectation that we get a good result, and then a goal is called, and then a second goal was about to be scored, and he had to be pulled off. It was bad, but it’s something that we pray that it will not happen again. It’s something that we condemn.”
Asante Kotoko will travel to Casablanca on Wednesday, hoping to overturn the scoreline without the first-choice goalkeeper in Friday’s second leg.
READ ALSO
CAF CC: Mistakes cost us against Wydad – Kotoko coach Karim Zito