Asante Kotoko Technical Director, James Kwesi Appiah, has revealed that the club terminated Fatau Safiu’s contract due to an undisclosed ligament injury, which Safiu had concealed.
Speaking to GhanaSportspage.com, Appiah disclosed that Safiu had misled the club regarding his fitness status. Medical assessments later revealed that the injury required surgery, sidelining Safiu for up to a year.
Appiah emphasized, “If he had been honest with me that he has an injury and can’t play straight away, I would have let the coach know. So that we all will be aware. But you told us you can play and that you have no issues”
The discovery was made during training when team manager Ohene Brenya observed Safiu limping. Subsequent medical examinations confirmed a ligament tear in Safiu's knee, necessitating surgical intervention.
“So the boys returned from a two-week break, and he joined them to train. While they were training, Ohene Brenya (team manager) noticed that he was limping, so he was told to stop training.
“Normally, every player needs to do a medical checkup before signing. So we had to let him do his medical. After the first medicals, the doctors said he had a ligament tear in his knee. He was taken to another doctor who also said his ligament would need surgery.
“We sent the report to one Black Stars doctor who said his injury would require surgery and he would be fit after a year.
“That’s when we decided to terminate the contract because he didn’t tell us the truth.”
Safiu's contract was terminated just three weeks after his return to Asante Kotoko for a second stint.
Asante Kotoko had announced Safiu's signing on a two-year deal on January 15, marking his return since departing the club in 2019.
During his previous spell, Safiu impressed, scoring 13 goals in sixteen appearances and earning accolades such as best player and top scorer in the Normalization Committee’s special competition.
