The international friendlies between Asante Kotoko and the Belize national team have been called off by the latter.
The Central American country had invited the Ghanaian giants over for back-to-back games to be played during the 2022 Fifa World Cup break.
Per a tentative arrangement, Kotoko were to play the Jaguars on November 18 and 20.
Kotoko confirm friendly dates with Belize during World Cup break
Earlier this week, a delegation from the Porcupine Warriors, led by CEO Nana Yaw Amponsah travelled to Belize for final discussions on the trip which had received some good media buzz.
Our Management met and held fruitful discussions with Her Worship Sheran Sharon Palacio ( Mayor of Belmopan ) ahead of final discussions with Belize FA on our much anticipated #Belize2022 trip.#AKSC#Fabucensus#KotokoinBelize pic.twitter.com/7CeLSlWIFV
— Asante Kotoko SC – 21/22 GPL Champions🥇 (@AsanteKotoko_SC) October 19, 2022
But these anticipated games will no longer hold after talks on Friday, October 21.
The Belize FA issued a media release explaining they would be unable to raise a team to face Kotoko on the proposed dates.
It read: “The Football Federation of Belize takes this opportunity to inform the general public that the National Team Committee has decided to rescind its previous invitation for Asante Kotoko to play a series of friendly matches against the Belize National A Team.
“At this moment, the committee is finding it extremely difficult to mobilize the National A Team as the Premier League of Belize (PLB) will be going into its final games of the opening season for 2022-2023 and the players for the A Team are drawn from the league.”
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused,” it added.
Asante Kotoko will now have to restrategize and find the best way possible to keep coach Seydou Zerbo’s side in top shape during the World Cup break.
Already they are faced with dealing with no competitive action for the past three weeks due to a court injunction which has forced the suspension of the Ghana Premier League. The Kotoko team has been engaging in several test games with lower-tier sides at the club’s Adako-Jachie Training Centre.
Belize FA statement below:
