The Status Committee of the Ghana Football Association last Monday granted Lawrence Adjei the floating status he had long sought for on his return from Russia with a rather sad story to tell following the contractual problems he encountered with his Russian club, Spartak Moscow.

The decision follows the Status Committee’s meticulous perusal of Adjei’s contract wit h Kotoko before his departure for Russia in 2001.

Although the contract Adjei signed with Spartak Moscow stated that he should revert to Kotoko on expiration of his contract with the Russian giants, the committee disclosed that the previous administration of the club under the leadership of Herbert Mensah signed an agreement with the player, relinquishing its rights over the player.

The reversion clause inserted into Adjei’s contract with Spartak Moscow was made useless, following the detected agreement Herbert Mensah signed giving away any right Kotoko had over the player, hence the player’s obstinate request to be granted floating status, which he was duly offered on Monday.

In a move that flew in the face of the previous administration’s initial renouncement of its right over the player, the former Director of Finance and Administration of Kotoko, George Amoako in a dramatic move ten days after that agreement between Herbert Mensah and Lawrence Adjei also signed another contract wit h the player, which had no witness.

Based on the evidence adduced before it, therefore, the status committee granted Lawrence Adjei, the one-time top scorer of Kotoko floating status, slipping through the fingers of Asante Kotoko, whose interest in him according to official sources has waned.

But that notwithstanding, Kotoko’s Accra Representative, Kwame Amoa-Bosompem says the club will file for an appeal in the next few days.