Sports News of Wednesday, 21 August 2019

Source: goal.com

Kotoko fans must destabilize Kano Pillars on Sunday - Felix Annan

Asante Kotoko skipper Felix Annan Asante Kotoko skipper Felix Annan

Asante Kotoko skipper Felix Annan has sent out a clarion call to fans of the club to completely take over Kumasi's Baba Yara Stadium in the Caf Champions League showdown with Kano Pillars of Nigeria on Sunday.

The Porcupine Warriors are set for a preliminary first round second leg decider with Masu Gida, the first match had ended 3-2 in favour of the Nigerians.

The winners on aggregate will secure their passage to face Hafia FC of Guinea or Tunisian club Etoile du Sahel in the second round of the championship.

“We need the fans now more than ever,” Annan, a member of Ghana's team at the recent Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Egypt, told Kotoko Express App.

“At stages like this, we cannot do without their presence and support. One of the reasons we are feared and revered is because of our huge support base and the fact that we can make the Baba Yara Stadium an uncomfortable place.

“That is what we want to see on Sunday; the kind of noise that destabilises the opponent.

"The stadium was packed and also full of noise when we played Kano Pillars in Nigeria. The Sani Abacha Stadium is only 16, 000 capacity while ours is nearly 40,000.

"We must paint the stadium red, make it noisier to show Kano Pillars that they don’t come close to us in terms of support.”

Kotoko are hoping to surpass their performance on their last appearance in the Champions League when they suffered a first-round elimination at the hands of Algerian club MC El Euma in 2015.

Last season, the Porcupines competed in the Confederation Cup, where they reached the group stage.