Asante Kotoko SC crest

Asante Kotoko SC

The Porcupine Warriors

League

Ghana Premier League

Founded

1935

City

Kumasi

Status

Active

25×
League titles
Community Hub

Discuss Kotoko on Afroduma

Debate tactics, transfer news, and relive historic Ghana football moments with Asante Kotoko SC supporters.

forumJoin Discussion Community Guidelines
Founded
1935
Stadium
Baba Yara Stadium
Capacity
40,528
Manager
Karim Zito
Chairman
Joseph Yaw Sarpong
Titles
25
CAF CL
2×
Main rival
Hearts of Oak

About the club

Asante Kotoko SC is Ghana's most successful football club, with 27 Ghana Premier League titles and two CAF Champions League crowns (1970, 1983). The club's Super Clash rivalry with Hearts of Oak is widely rated among Africa's fiercest derbies. Founded in 1935 as the royal side of the Asante Kingdom, the Porcupine Warriors function as the cultural heartbeat of the Ashanti people in Kumasi as much as a football club.

Founded by Nana Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II (Asantehene), as the royal football side of the Asante Kingdom.

"Kum apem a, apem beba — Kill a thousand, a thousand more will come"

emoji_eventsHonours

Competition Wins Last Note
Ghana Premier League 25 2021–22 Ghanaian record per Kotoko's Wikipedia article (GPL overview article gives 26)
CAF Champions League 2 1983 Won 1970 and 1983; runners-up five times
Ghana FA Cup 9 2017 None
CAF Super Cup 0 — Runners-up twice
Ghana Super League (pre-NPFL) 0 — Folded; Kotoko titles all under modern league system

workspace_premiumRecent titles

  • 2021–22 vs Hearts of Oak · 11 points
    Top scorer: Cameron Borley (12)
  • 2012–13 vs Berekum Chelsea · 4 points
    Top scorer: Fatawu Dauda (GK) — clean-sheet record
  • 2007–08 vs King Faisal · 6 points
    Top scorer: Daniel Nii Adjei (13)

scoreboardNotable matches

  • 1970
    Kotoko 1–1 TP Englebert (agg 4–2)

    First CAF Champions League title. Won the away leg in Kinshasa 3–1.

  • 1983
    Kotoko 1–0 Al-Ahly (agg 1–1 aet)

    Second CAF Champions League. Won on penalties in Cairo.

  • 1993
    Kotoko 2–0 Hearts of Oak

    Super Clash of the century — decided the GPL title in the final matchday.

  • 2008
    Kotoko 1–0 Hearts of Oak

    Baba Yara sellout; title-clinching goal from a 93rd-minute header.

Club legends

K
Karim Abdul Razak
1974–1980

Midfielder — 1978 CAF African Footballer of the Year; 'Golden Boy'

O
Opoku Afriyie
1970s–1980s

All-time top scorer; scored both goals in 1978 AFCON final for Ghana

stadium
Home ground

Baba Yara Stadium

Kumasi · 40,528 capacity
Stadium guidearrow_forward
local_fire_department
Main rivalry

Super Clash

vs Hearts of Oak

Kotoko vs Hearts of Oak is the defining rivalry of Ghanaian football. The fixture regularly draws 40,000 to Baba Yara and Accra Sports Stadium, and has tribal and political...

Derby pagearrow_forward

help Frequently Asked Questions

How many titles has Asante Kotoko won? add
Asante Kotoko has won 27 Ghana Premier League titles — the Ghanaian record by a clear margin — plus 9 FA Cup titles and 2 CAF Champions League titles (1970 and 1983). Their most recent league title was the 2021–22 season, 11 points clear of Hearts of Oak.
Where does Asante Kotoko play? add
Kotoko's home is the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, capacity 40,528. The stadium was renovated ahead of the 2008 AFCON and hosts both club and Black Stars fixtures. The stadium is a short walk from Kejetia, the centre of Kumasi.
Who are Asante Kotoko's rivals? add
Hearts of Oak are Kotoko's defining rivals. The fixture is known as the Super Clash and regularly fills both Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi and Accra Sports Stadium in Accra. The rivalry carries Ashanti-vs-coastal tribal and political undertones on top of the football.
How many CAF Champions League titles has Asante Kotoko won? add
Two — in 1970 (beating TP Englebert 4–2 on aggregate) and 1983 (beating Al-Ahly on penalties after aggregate 1–1). Kotoko are the only Ghanaian club to have won the competition twice, and one of only a handful of West African sides to do so.
Who owns Asante Kotoko? add
The club is held in public trust by the Asantehene (the Ashanti monarch), currently Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, through the Kotoko Trust Fund. Day-to-day management is by an appointed Board of Directors chaired by Joseph Yaw Sarpong, with Karim Zito as head coach.
What does 'Kum apem a, apem beba' mean? add
It is Kotoko's motto — the Ashanti war cry meaning 'Kill a thousand, a thousand more will come.' It captures the club's resilience and the endless flow of talent from Ashanti football culture into the Porcupine Warriors.
How much do Asante Kotoko players earn? add
Kotoko player salaries sit between roughly GHS 8,000 and GHS 35,000 per month for the senior squad, with top earners around GHS 40,000–50,000 including appearance bonuses. These are competitive for the Ghana Premier League but significantly below African top clubs in Egypt, Morocco and South Africa, where equivalent contracts can be 5–10× larger.

Related

Derby Super Clash (Kotoko vs Hearts of Oak) arrow_forward Rival Hearts of Oak arrow_forward League Ghana Premier League arrow_forward Country Football in Ghana arrow_forward Stadium Baba Yara Stadium arrow_forward

Last updated 2026-04-21 · written by Kwame Owusu.