Referees refused to touch matchball after it was wrapped in polythene bag in BA Utd, Bofoakwa derby

The circumstances surrounding last week’s Ghana Premier League clash between Asante Kotoko and Aduana Stars have put superstition in local football back under the spotlight.

People have criticized both clubs for starting the game with ten players each, apparently due to fears that the team which played the opening half with 11 men would lose.

Another incident over the weekend in the FA Cup reignited the conversations about superstition in Ghanaian football which were losing a bit of momentum.

The Bono/Ahafo derby between BA Utd and Bofoakwa Tano was expected to be one of the standout fixtures of the Round of 64 stages of the competition.

The match ended 0-0 with Bofoakwa going through 5-4 on penalties.

However, it was not the match or the result that caught the attention of the public but an incident before the start of the game that grabbed all the headlines.

Sports journalist, Saddick Adams reported that the home side for the game, BA Utd wrapped the match ball in a black polythene bag prior to kick-off.

The referees did not want to touch the ball in the bag and took a video of the scene. They only agreed to start the game once the ball had been taken out of the black bag.

Saddick posted the video on Twitter where the reaction from the public has been brutal.

The weekend'ss MTN FA Cup biggest derby, BA United vs Bofoakwa Tano was not without drama. Before kickoff, the home team (BA UTD) wrapped the match ball with a black polythene bag.

The referees, took video evidence and refused to touch it until it was unwrapped 🙄 pic.twitter.com/2Cx2il8eIY

— Saddick Adams (@SaddickAdams) February 24, 2020