Retired FIFA Referee Joseph Wellington has disputed the penalty decision that gave Asante Kotoko the win over Golden Kick in the MTN FA Cup final.
According to Wellington, the penalty was incorrectly awarded, as Golden Kick’s goalkeeper, Kelvin Saaba, had control of the ball.
“It wasn’t a penalty,” Wellington stated on Onua TV’s Agoro Fie. “The goalkeeper got the ball and the ball chased off and it didn’t change direction… The goalkeeper got the ball and the striker of Asante Kotoko didn’t win the ball but got there.”
Wellington explained that the referee, Latif Abdul Adaari, relied on his assistant for the call, which he believes was incorrect. “So the issue of a penalty, it doesn’t come in at all. It was the Assistant Referee who gave the penalty to the referee. The referee, of course, was very far.”
The penalty, converted by Kwame Opoku, gave Asante Kotoko a 2-1 win in injury time, securing their 10th FA Cup title and the only silverware for the season. Interim coach Karim Zito won the trophy for the second time in three years.
