Kumasi Asante Kotoko has protested to arch-rivals, Accra Hearts of Oak for fielding Lawrence Adjei, a bonafide Kotoko player in their friendly international match against Togolese Etoile Filante at the Accra stadium on Sunday, February 16.

A protest letter to Hearts signed by Mr Sylvester Asare Owusu, chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of Kotoko, asked Hearts management and indeed all clubs in the country to note that Lawrence Adjei's original contract with Kotoko was still valid.

This therefore meant that no club had the right to use the player either in a friendly or competitive game.

The letter said though there was a minor problem between Lawrence Adjei and Kotoko currently pending before the Ghana Football Association's (GFA) Status Committee, it did not in any way give Hearts or any other club for that matter the right to engage the services of the player.

Kotoko is still interested in Lawrence Adjei and the club's IMC is doing all it can to ensure that Adjei plays for the team in the upcoming season. Indeed, we even expect the player to join the team in Kumasi in the next couple of days, the letter added.

The letter therefore warned all clubs to take note of Kotoko's stand on Lawrence Adjei.