By Ernest Bako WUBONTO
One precious life lost again to football violence
May 9 is a very dark day in the archives of Ghana football and has always been commemorated with the tagline “Never Again”; to wit, never again will Ghana – as a nation – allow hooliganism to claim lives at any football venue.
However, pockets of violence keep occurring at some sporting venues, especially at the lower tier level with little to non-existent punishment to perpetrators.
I am tempted to believe that these little incidents of impunity that go unpunished have gradually emboldened some supporters to continue with intimidation and violence at their home venues as a way to secure three points.
Unfortunately, the Ghana Premier League (GPL) game week 19 has been tarnished by one of such shameful incidents that claimed a life and left others injured.
The game week 19 sparked a lot of interest, with the top three teams separated by just a point and the top six positions liable to change with a win or lose to any opposing teams.
With Hearts of Oak winning their week 19 home game on Friday night, propelling them to second position with 33 points – just a point behind league leader Kotoko with 34 points, the Sunday game between the Porcupine Warriors and Nsoatreman was the centre of attention just like Bibiani Gold Stars and Samartex.
The sporting community was hopeful of witnessing a highly competitive beautiful football on Sunday afternoon but it turned out to be a sad day for the nation again.
The Porcupine Warriors did not only lose the three points by a lone goal, but also lost a precious life. What a shame to football!
A member of the Asante Kotoko supporters’ communication team, Francis Yaw Frimpong – popularly known as Nana Pooley, was stabbed to death by unknown men during a GPL game at the Nana Kromansah Park in Nsoatre.
The tragic event happened in the stadium during the second half of the game in the middle of a violent attack involving supporters, management team members and playing body.
The official statement from Asante Kotoko indicated that Nana Pooley was stabbed by unknown men in an altercation during the second half of the game and was rushed to the Sunyani Regional Hospital where he succumbed to the overwhelming injuries sustained from the knife wounds.
The discrepancy in Kotoko and Nsoatreman’s statement
While the statement from Asante Kotoko described a hostile atmosphere on arrival at the stadium and throughout the game, the other party indicated that the incident that led to the death of the supporter happened outside the stadium.
Nsoatreman claimed the incident was a confrontation that occurred at a drinking bar around the stadium. This is also contrary to the video footage seen on social media.
“From our arrival at the stadium, our team was subjected to open hostility, including confrontations from sections of the home supporters. Despite these provocations, we remained committed to fair competition and proceeded with the game in the spirit of sportsmanship.
“Unfortunately, the actions of the home crowd throughout the match were completely unacceptable. Missiles were thrown at our bench occasionally, creating an unsafe environment for our players and officials.
The situation escalated further when our Head of Media suffered a serious ear injury after being struck by an object. Additionally, in a shocking act of aggression, some supporters invaded the pitch and physically attacked our goalkeeper, Mohammed Camara, while also hurling missiles at him,” Kotoko stated.
The statement further said: “Tragically, one of our supporters, who was stabbed during the violence, has succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. The violent scenes resulted in extensive damage to valuable equipment belonging to our club. Laptops, communication devices… It is deeply troubling that such hooliganism persists in our league, endangering players, officials, media personnel and supporters”.
Nsoatreman, on the contrary, said: “Initial reports gathered suggest that an altercation ensued between two supporters outside the stadium. We have been informed that an argument had earlier happened between the deceased and the culprit at a nearby drinking spot that later brought up this stabbing incident behind the stadium. The altercation degenerated into fisticuffs, leading to a stabbing of the deceased.”
This level of destruction is unacceptable and further highlights the urgent need for stronger security measures at league venues.
GFA’s immediate response
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) condemned the acts of hooliganism, imposed an immediate ban on Nsoatreman FC’s home venue, and assured investigations into the violent incident.
The Executive Committee of the GFA has invoked Article 14(2) of the Premier League Regulations, by banning the use of the Nsoatreman FC home venue until further notice. This action is to ensure the safety of all stakeholders while investigations proceed.
Furthermore, the GFA has tasked the Security Committee, led by DCOP Lydia Donkor, and the FA prosecutors to immediately move to the site and gather all necessary evidence, including match reports and relevant documentation, to present to the FA’s Disciplinary Committee for adjudication of all sporting matters.
“The Ghana Football Association strongly condemns the acts of violence and lawlessness that marred the GPL match between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Nsoatreman FC on 2nd February, 2025 at Nana Kronamansah Park. The tragic events resulted in the loss of life, several injuries and the destruction of property—an unacceptable blemish on the integrity of our game,” stated the FA.
Acts of hooliganism in Ghana football
Lacking records of tragic football disasters in the past years before I was born, it is fair to state that the most tragic act of hooliganism to rock the local game is the Accra Sports Stadium disaster on May 9, 2001. It was a stadium disaster that killed 126 people, making it the deadliest stadium disaster in Ghana’s history.
Recently, between 2020/21 and 2024/25 seasons, about a decade of acts of hooliganism have been recorded on the local terrain.
There have been various degrees of violence in the Division One League, Women’s League, Premier League and even some Division Two games. Venues like Sunyani Coronation Park, Wamnafo Town Park, Aliu Mahama Stadium and Nduom Sports Stadium have all been banned due to violence.
On several occasions, referees were beaten to a pulp, and inadequate security presence left them at the mercy of the irate fans.
On match day 12 of the GPL this season in Dormaa, it took the swift intervention of the Police Service to stop Aduana Stars fans from allegedly attacking match officials during the half-time break, disrupting the game against Asante Kotoko.
Unfortunately, a temporary ban on stadia has always seemed to be the punishment as the culprits walk away unpunished.
How to stop hooliganism
It would be recalled that in August 2024, the President of the GFA, Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, made a passionate plea for the football community to do their utmost to eliminate hooliganism from Ghana Football and protect the game’s image.
In that plea, he pointed out that even at the highest levels of football, such as the World Cup, Champions League and top European leagues, referees sometimes make errors despite having the assistance of Video Assistant Refereeing (VAR) technology.
Therefore, he urged fans to recognise that referees are human and may occasionally make mistakes, like any other sports professional. However, this seems to fall on deaf ears.
This incident is timely, considering that the Premier League is only halfway through, the GFA’s laws on violence need to be toughened as the police are complicit in failing in their duty to ensure law and order.
The Police have cited constraints in deploying adequate numbers at match venues, which may be a legitimate challenge – but what about those who were picked up only to be freed after pleas?
Enough of the interference from powerful people, especially club managers and political leaders in communities where these crimes are perpetrated. Pleas for arrested hooligans to be freed should be outrightly rejected, and examples of one or two hoodlums should be made to deter would-be offenders.
This will not cure the canker entirely, but it could contribute to reducing it to the barest minimum. The earlier the police clamp down on football-related violence, the better it will be for the game.
The GFA must find innovative ways to improve security at match venues. For instance, collaborating with clubs to select some strong youths in the club’s host communities, providing crowd control training, and equipping them with uniforms and resources to serve as special stewards at match centres.
