THE Appeals Committee of the Ghana Football Association has upheld Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s protest against Berekum Arsenals for fielding an unqualified player George Brown, in their 1-1 drawn first round Star Premier League match at Berekum last August.

The protest was first dismissed by the Disciplinary Committee of the GFA for lack of substance because the said player had earlier been cleared eligible to play in Ghana by the Status committee of the GFA.

But unsatisfied, Kotoko went for appeal insisting that George Brown, who went to ply his trade outside the country some time ago returned without an International Transfer Certificate that would enable him to play for any club in the country.

However, the point of Berekum Arsenals is that they registered the player last July only after he had been declared eligible to play in the country by the GFA’s own Status Committee charged with arbitrating in all such matters whenever there are doubts or litigation over a player’s eligibility.

By the Appeals decision, Kotoko have been declared winners of that match and credited with two additional points and three goals. Consequently, Arsenals have been stripped of their one point and three more points deducted from their accumulated points.