A statement issued on Asante Kotoko's official Twitter handle reads
7 players and 4 officials of Kotoko test positive for Coronavirus ahead of Al Hilal clash
Seven players and four officials of the Asante Kotoko contingent that travelled to Sudan for Al Hilal CAF Champions League game have tested positive ahead of their tie this afternoon.
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“Seven players and four officials are alleged to tested have positive for COVID-19 after the results came in”
Asante Kotoko have to break two records in order to book their ticket to the next stage of the CAF Champions League as they take on Al Hilal on Wednesday at 1pm Ghanaian time
The Porcupine Warriors lost the first leg of their CAF Champions League tie against Al Hilal of Sudan in Accra and they would have to beat the North Africans in Omdurman to overturn the results.
The odds are against Asante Kotoko because no Ghanaian club has ever overturned the results after having lost at home in the first leg in an Africa inter club competition and another history which goes against the Kumasi giants is that they have never won on North African soil in any CAF organized competition.
Although Real Republikans were the first Ghanaian club to lose a home game in the Africa Club Champions Cup when they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Oryx Douala in the maiden edition of the Africa Inter Club Competitions in 1964/1965, they didn’t get the benefit of playing an away game because Ghana hosted the three other participating clubs.
The first club to lose at home in a home and away knockout series were Asante Kotoko in 1966 against Stade Abidjan. Kotoko lost 0-1 in Kumasi and the best they could do in Abidjan was a 2-2 draw.
Hearts of Oak, Ashanti Gold, etc have had their own share of defeats at home in the first leg of Africa inter club competitions and they failed to overturn the results in the second leg.
Meanwhile, Asante Kotoko are yet to win an Africa inter club competition game in North Africa.
The two times champions of Africa have visited North African soil on 35 occasions: they have drawn 11 and lost 24.
Kotoko have lost their last two visits to North Africa against North African opponents. Lost 0-1 to Al Hilal and 3-0 to Etoile Du Sahel in 2019.
The Porcupine Warriors have made a trip to Sudan six time: They have drawn two and lost four.
And they have played Al Hilal three times on Sudanese soil. They have lost two and drawn one.
Team news
Asante Kotoko players boycotted training on Tuesday as result of unpaid entitlements, but the management of the club acted swiftly by settling them, so things are back to normal in camp ahead of the tie.
Meanwhile, the Sudanse giants have been promised a fat qualification bonus ahead of the clash.
Below are details of how Asante Kotoko have fared in North Africa:
2:12:1969; Cairo: Ismaili 2-1 Asante Kotoko Gha
Friday, 17th Sept, 1970
4:12;1970; Cairo: Ismaili 0- 0 Asante Kotoko
1/8
7:05:1971; Khartoum: El Merreikh 2- 1 Asante Kotoko
17:09:1971; Cairo: Ismaili 1- 1 Asante Kotoko
1/8
15:05:1973; Khartoum: El Merreikh 1 – 1 Asanate Kotoko
Final
27:11:1982; Cairo: Al Ahly 3- 0 Asante Kotoko
Final
25:11:1983; Cairo: Al Ahly 0- 0 Asante Kotok
1/8
12:05:1987; Casablanca: WAC 1- 1 Asante Kotoko
¼
Friday 4:09:1987; Cairo: Zamalek 2- 0 Asante Kotoko
Friday 16 Oct, 1987
Al Ahly 2- 0 Asante Kotoko
20:05:1990;Casabianca: FAR 3-3 Asante Kotoko
9:09:1990; Khartoum: Al Hilal 2- 2 Asante Kotoko
2:11:1990; Algiers: JSK Algiers 2- 0 Asante Kotoko
1/8
30:05:1993; Casablanca: KACM 1- 0 Asante Kotoko
Final
10:12:1993; Cairo: Zamalek 0 – 0 Asante Kotoko
(7) (6)
1997
Algiers: USM Beida 3- 1 Asante Kotoko
14:5:1999
Cairo: EL-Masry 1- 0 Asante Kotoko
15:9:2002
Mahalla: El-Mahalla 4- 2 Asante Kotoko
Final
17:11:2002
Casablanca: WAC 1- 0 Asante Kotoko
1/8
16:05:2004
Algiers: USMA 2 - 0 Asante Kotoko
25:07:2004
Casablanca: WAC 1- 1 Asante Kotoko
Group stage
Sep 11: Al-Hilal 2-0Asante Kotoko
2005
Rabat: Forces Armee Royal 2 – 0 Asante Kotoko
Group stage
Jul 16: Algiers: JS Kabylie 1- 0 Asante Kotoko
Aug 26 Cairo: Al Ahly 4- 0 Asante Kotoko
Sep 17 Sfax: CS Sfaxien 2 - 1 Asante Kotoko
Round 3
11: 07: 2008; Tripoli: Al Ithihad 2 – 1 Asante Kotoko
¼
17:08:2008; Sousse:Etoile du Sahel 2 – 0 Asante Kotoko
21:09:2008; Tizzi Ouzou: JS Kabylie 2 – 0 Asante Kotoko
04 Oct. 08
18:10:2008; Ondurman: Al Merreikh 2- 1 Asante Kotoko
Round 1
5:04:2009: Ithihad Khemisset 2- 0 Asante Kotoko
2013
(Mar 15 and Apr 7)
JSM Béjaïa Alg 0-0 Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)
2015
MC El Eulma Alg 0-0 Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)
2019
Group C
Feb 3: Al-Hilal (Omdurman)1-0 Asante Kotoko
2019-2020
Etoile du Sahel (Sousse) Tun 3-0 Asante Kotoko Ghana
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