)
When some football and match officials were caught on camera for receiving monies suspected to be bribe, lovers of the game were thrown into a jubilant mood, expecting that all the troubles facing the beautiful game would go with the old era.
One of the major challenges of the game was hooliganism by fans and supporters of the various clubs.
Have we learnt lessons from the events that led to the undercover piece on Ghana football by multiple award-winning investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas?
READ MORE: Kotoko official, fan badly injured as fight breaks out Golden City Park (photos)
)
)
)
would say no because it appears hooliganism is on the ascendency after domestic football which had gone in hibernation for six months period after the Number 12 documentary finally resumed.
We have witnessed about three horrific incidents in the various league centres since the resumption of domestic football.
What surprises me most is the fact that women’s league which was usually incident-free witnessed hooliganism at the highest level.
Referee Theresa Bremansu was handed severe beating during a league match between Ampem Darkoa Ladies and Prisons Ladies by a man suspected to be a fan of the latter.
This was followed by another incident at the Nana Agyemang Badu Sports Stadium, Dormaa, during a game between Aduana Stars and Medeama SC in the Normalisation Committee Special Competition.
The supporters of Aduana Stars during the above-named game resorted to violence. Coach of Medeama was terrified by the action of the home fans and promised not to lead any side to Dormaa in the future due to the action of the home fans.
The straw that has broken the camel’s back is the incident at the Golden City Park, Berekum: the Policy Analyst of Asante Kotoko George Amoh Sarpong was assaulted and left to bleed profusely during his side’s game against the home team Berekum Chelsea on Sunday, April 28, 2019.
I haven’t stopped asking myself the question; where are we going as a nation that wants to make our football attractive, after yesterday’s barbaric incident at Berekum.
Ghana football is partly unattractive due to hooliganism. There have been attempts to attract children and women who are less vulnerable in society to various stadia to increase spectatorship which has been on the decline.
As it stands now, we can’t win with this attitude of violence, which create bloody scenes.
Also, it would be very difficult for the domestic league to attract sponsorships from corporate bodies with violence dominating our game.
In the end, the league can’t keep quality players who would emerge because the clubs can’t pay them good salaries. Club officials over the years have been accused of perpetuating violence by instigating their supporters.
It appears to be the truth because football officials over the years have failed to even fish-out culprits of hooliganism.
Club officials are their own enemies.
Until we refrain from hooliganism, Ghana would be back to square one in our quest to normalise our football.