Hearts of Oak head coach Samuel Boady says poor officiating caused his team’s defeat to Asante Kotoko at the Baba Yara stadium in the Ghana Premier League on Sunday.
The Porcupine Warriors were awarded a penalty by referee Paddy after Fabio Gama was fouled in the box by Hearts midfielder Nurudeen Aziz.
Cameroonian import Franck Mbella Etouga stepped up to take the resulting spot kick as he sent goalkeeper Richmond Ayi the wrong way, taking his season tally to 16 goals.
"We all want Ghana football to be fair but in such a big game and such decisions come in it’s really difficult," coach Boadu said after the game.
"If we play fair game I don’t think I will lose this game. We are still on course to retain the league until the last minute."
The Phobians uplifted themselves in search of the equalizer but their efforts yielded no positive outcome as Kotoko defended well as they held on to win 1-0 at the Baba Yara stadium, their first win over their arch rivals in their last five attempts.
Hearts of Oak drop to 6th on the league table with 36 points.