Suppoters of Asante Kotoko nationwide were last Wednesday thrown into a state of confusion and bewilderment following a false report that midfield supreme, Michael Asante, had swerved Kotoko for Goldfields.

So shatterig was the news for Kotoko supporters that it set the alarm bells ringing as to whether something had gone wrong in the recruitment drive.

The false story, put out by the Soccer Express owned by former Kotoko Chief Executive, Herbert Mensah, who now occupies the high office of president of King Faisal, was emphatic that Asante's movement to Goldfields was a done deal.

The publication gave hints of a possible foreign contract for the rasta-haired midfield that might have swept him off his feet.

Investigations by the Kotoko Express, however, have revealed that the Soccer Express story is nothing but a pack of stinking lies resorted to by some desperate persons to paint a picture of failure by the IMC in its recruitment drive.

At the time that the Soccer Express sought to create the impression that Goldfields had already snatched Asante, the player was with his colleagues in camp, anxiously looking forward to Sunday's titanic clash against Real Tamale United at Bolgatanga. As a matter of fact, he signed the card 'A' for Kotoko last Wednesday.

The Management of Kotoko finalised all transactions relating to Asante's release with the management of Great Olympics last Wednesday. What was left to seal the deal was the signature on the release letter by Mr George Adusei Poku, a.k.a. Georgido, a former Chief Executive of Kotoko, from whose team, Great Ashantis, Asante was loaned to Olympics. In another development, the General Captain of Kotoko, Godwin Ablordey, has refused to sign the Card 'A' of Kotoko because of a decision to sign him on for one year instead of two years like all the other players.

He also demanded the balance of his signing on fee. At the time of going to press, management had scheduled a meeting with Ablordey to sort thing out.