Retired FIFA Referee Joseph Wellington has weighed into the controversy over Sunday’s penalty that gave Asante Kotoko the edge over Golden Kick in the 2024/25 MTN FA Cup final.
The Referees Instructor says the goalkeeper of Golden Kick SC, Kelvin Saaba, was in control of the ball when Kwame Opoku got to it.
Therefore, he insists, the call by center referee Latif Abdul Adaari was wrongful.
“It wasn’t a penalty,” he minced no words on Onua TV‘s Agoro Fie on Monday, June 16.
“The goalkeeper got the ball and the ball chased off and it didn’t change direction,” he added, insisting: “The goalkeeper got the ball and the striker of Asante Kotoko didn’t win the ball but got there.
“The goalkeeper got the ball. The goalkeeper was in control of the ball and the second time he even dived and saved it.”
According to him, the referee cannot be blamed for the call as he depended on his assistant before whistling and pointing to the spot.
“So the issue of a penalty, it doesn’t come in at all. It was the Assistant Referee who gave the penalty to the referee. The referee, of course, was very far.”
After a 1-1 draw in the first half, Kwame Poku converted the controversial penalty to give Asante Kotoko a 2-1 win over the Division One side in injury time.
The win becomes the only silverware for the Porcupine Warriors this season after losing out on the 2024/25 Ghana Premier League to Bibiani Goldstars SC.
Interim coach Abdul-Karim Zito wins the trophy for the second time in three years.
