Former Black Stars midfielder Albert Asaase has revealed that Egyptian giants Al Ahly attempted to sign him after his impressive performances at the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations, but Asante Kotoko rejected the move.
Asaase, who enjoyed a successful spell with the Porcupine Warriors between 1980 and 1982, said his performances for both club and country attracted interest from one of Africa’s biggest clubs after Ghana’s AFCON triumph in Libya.
The midfielder was part of the Kotoko squad that reached the 1982 African Cup of Champions Clubs final against Al Ahly, where the Egyptian side emerged victorious after a 4-1 aggregate scoreline. Al Ahly won the first leg 3-0 in Cairo before the return fixture ended in a 1-1 draw in Kumasi.
Reflecting on the final, Asaase recalled the difficulty of facing Al Ahly during that era and claimed their financial strength gave them an advantage.
“I was part of Kotoko’s squad that played in the CAF Champions League final against Al Ahly in 1982. They had sponsors at the time including Sprite, so they sometimes paid money to referees, making it difficult to beat them,” Asaase said.
He added that despite their comfortable first-leg advantage, Al Ahly remained cautious because of Kotoko’s fighting spirit.
“They won 3-0 in the first leg but still couldn’t jubilate because they knew what we could do. In the second leg, we scored and they equalized, and that killed our spirit.”
According to Asaase, Al Ahly later expressed interest in securing his services after Ghana’s 1982 AFCON campaign, but Kotoko refused to approve the transfer.
“After the 1982 AFCON in Libya, Al Ahly contacted me and wanted to sign me, but Kotoko didn’t allow it,” he revealed.
The former midfielder eventually left Asante Kotoko after several successful seasons and joined Ivorian club Stade d’Abidjan before retiring from football in 1994.
During his time with Kotoko, Asaase won three Ghana Premier League titles and established himself as one of the club’s key players of that generation.
