Bizzare Sports Story of the Year: Kokoto, Aduana play league game with 10 players

In football, they say everything and anything is possible but in 2020 even firm believers of this mantra were left stunned when Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Aduana Stars both decided to start their matchday 11 game in Dormaa with 10 players each.

The incident which happened in February 2020 will go down in history as one of the most bizarre happenings as far as Ghana and league Football in the country is concerned. So what really triggered these two dominant teams to play a game with 10 players each? The norm is to have two playing clubs field 11 players at the start of a match. But these two big clubs had different ideas.

Reports from the benches said, before kickoff, that Aduana’s Farouk Adams and Kotoko’s Martin Antwi had sustained knocks and required treatment.

Their treatment seemed to be delaying the start, so referee Alphonso Atiapah decided to get things underway. Per association football rules a team is required to field a minimum of seven players.

Strangely, after receiving treatment, none of the two still came onto the pitch first – a move that is reported to have been borne out of superstition.

According to grapevine sources, the superstitious instructions were that the team whose player entered the pitch first would lose.

The teams completed the first half with 10 men each, and the score was goalless. In the second half, the two players finally made their way onto the pitch.

The game, which ultimately ended 1-0 in favour of home side Aduana.

The decision left fans completely shocked.

Strangely, Maxwell Konadu the coach of Kotoko at the time could not explain to journalists why he made that call.

Watch highlights of the game in the video below;