Kumasi Asante Kotoko?s mercurial schemer, winger and midfield machine, Charles Taylor on Monday dawn had his Ford Escort car with registration number AS 2217 U burnt from fires family sources believe were the handiwork of arsonists.

Taylor?s wife was awakened at about 1.30am by suffocating smoke that had filled several rooms in the house and her attempt at establishing the source led her to the blazing car parked just close to a window.

She quickly alerted Taylor?s bosom friend and manager Jonathan Laryea, whose shrill calls for help drew the ready support of neighbours at that unholy hour.

The party then set out to put out the fire with all manner of implements, mainly sand and luckily they succeeded. That however was not before the fires had caused considerable damage to the car.

So strong were the fires that, according to Jonathan, it could have spelt disaster had any portion of the house caught it.

But Kotoko Board member Kennedy Agyepong, who said he gave that car to Taylor, did not agree that the fire could have been started by anyone. He suspects it could be an electrical fault.

What enforces the family?s conviction that the fires were the handiwork of arsonists is a burnt cardboard that was picked from the portion of the car where the fire is thought to have started. Jonathan had last used the car on Sunday, February 8, when he drove Taylor?s wife to church and returned to park it at about 11am. No one moved the car again that day while the whole house spent the rest of the day watching the Cup of Nations and Top Four matches on television.

The family believes whoever caused the fire deliberately placed that piece of card (ostensibly burning) under the car.

As at last night, the family was yet to report the matter to the police but what is unfortunate, should the police decide to pursue the matter, is that they may find it too difficult even agreeing where to begin work. Evidence has seriously been tampered with. The partly burnt car, which is currently parked at a garage at Nungua near Accra, has been cleaned out thoroughly after it was sent to the Toronto Car Washing Base between the First Estate Junction and A-Life junction and may see repair work soon.