Kumasi's dark day

Kumasi woke up to disbelief on Monday, as they come to terms with the near miss of their first African title in 19 years. Losing the African Cup Winners Cup to Wydad Casablanca of Morocco has been hard for the fans to bear.

They were crying like babies at the blast of Egyptian referee Gamal El Ghandour's whistle.

It is the first time Kotoko won a home match in a final without lifting the trophy.

20 fans collapsed after the end of the match but fortunately, there were no fatalities.

The heartbreak was not limited to Kumasi.

In Accra, Ghana's capital city, the streets went quiet after the match.

It was a sharp contrast to the hooting cars and chanting fans that were optimistic about victory.

Kotoko spent a lot of money to become the first Ghanaian side to win the Cup Winners Cup.

It used three European coaches - Ernst Middlesdorp, Ian Porterfield and Ralf Zumdick - during the competition.

Although Kotoko have ended up with nothing at the end of a hard-fought African campaign, they will be back in next year's competition.

The 'Porcupine Warriors' finished behind old rivals, Hearts of Oak, in the Ghanaian championship.

Although Kotoko CEO Herbert Mensah said he will step down, there are reports that he will continue in the post for another year.

In the meantime, German coach Ralf Zumdick is considering his future with the club.