Asante Kotoko head coach Prosper Narteh explained his surprising decision to withdraw Dickson Afoakwa in the early minutes of their 3-1 defeat to Legon Cities in the Ghana Premier League on Sunday.
Afoakwa was substituted in the 35th minute of the game by midfielder Mudasiru Salifu with coach Narteh claiming it was tactical decision to protect the player.
The Porcupine Warriors suffered their second straight defeat within a space of seven days following a 2-1 loss to Real Tamale United (RTU) last weekend.
"When you have a player on the field and the audience are getting on the player, you better protect the future of the player than allowing the audience finish him on the field and as a coach as I sit here, that’s what I saw," former WAFA trainer said after the game.
"He has more years ahead of him to play football so I decided that because he himself was not getting things right and then the audience were on him so I had to make sure that I protect his future."
The visitors took an early lead in the 17th minute through Michel Otu from the penalty spot before Hans Kwofie increased the tally 10 minutes later.
However, Mudasiru Salifu halved the deficit for the Porcupine Warriors on the stroke of half time at the Baba Yara Sports stadium. After the breaks, Legon Cities restored their two goal lead as they scored in the 47th minute through Hans Kwofie to make it 3-1.
Asante Kotoko are still top of the league table with 52 points - eight-points above second-placed Bechem United who play Karela United on Monday.