Asante Kotoko FC are through to the next stage of the CAF Champions League where they will face Sudanese powerhouse Al Hilal.

This was after the match referee Komlanvi Aklassou declared a match forfeit after FC Nouadhibou refused to turn up for action in the second leg encounter.

The game was originally scheduled for Saturday December 5, but few minutes to kick-off an impasse ensued when FC Nouadhibou raised red flags over the Covid-19 test results made available to the two teams.

Per the results, two players of the Mauritanian side had tested positive for the virus, hence needed to be withdrawn from the squad and isolated as per the regulations.

FC Nouadhibou officials questioned the authenticity of the results and the ensuing delay caused the match to be called-off and eventually postponed to Sunday December 6.

Well on Sunday, the same issues unfolded after three separate tests conducted confirmed Saturday’s results. With Nouadhibou insistence on the inclusion of both players in their squad amid disputing the test results’ authenticity, the referee and other officials had no chance but to apply the rules.

In this case the game was declared as a forfeiture with FC Nouadhibou the culpable party. Eventually Asante Kotoko were declared 2-0 winners and with the first leg ending 1-1, they qualify 3-1 on aggregate.

The Porcupine Warriors will next face Al Hilal Omdurman of Sudan. The two sides have met 4 times since 2000 with the Sudanese side edging the head to head battle. Al Hilal have beaten Kotoko twice while the Porcupine Warriors have beaten their opponent just once [November 2004].

Asante Kotoko are also yet to score against their opponent in Sudan, having lost their two previous trips there by 2-0 and 1-0 [2004 and 2019 respectively].