Ghana’s newly-appointed minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Iddie Adams officially assumed the leadership role of the sector on Monday 10th February, 2025 and convened meeting with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to discuss matters relating to stadium security and the progress of Ghana Football.
The main focus of the meeting centred primarily on enhancing safety and security at the various match venues stemming from the unfortunate incident that rocked the football fraternity resulting in the death of a fan of Asante Kotoko.
The incident took place ago in a league match between Asante Kotoko and Nsoatreman football club at the Nana Koramansah Park at Nsoatre last week.
Briefing the Minister on the status of investigations into the incident, the General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association, Prosper Harrison Addo stated that it was being treated as a criminal matter.
He assured the Hon Minister of the full cooperation of the GFA with the security agencies to help bring the perpetrators to book.
The Minister pointed out the seriousness in losing a fan at a match venue and assured that, anyone found culpable will not be shielded to escape punishment but will be made to face the full rigors of the law.
He went on to outline a number of engagements and steps taken by the GFA, including the suspension of the league, to restore the sanity of the Ghana Premiere League going forward.
According to the General Secretary, the GFA after engaging all its stakeholders have drafted an enhanced safety protocols for the various match venues and this will be made available to the Hon. Minister for his input and subsequent implementation.
For his part, the Minister intimated his resolve to find a lasting solution to the issue of hooliganism to improve stadium experience for fans. Regarding facilities, directed the Chief Director of the Ministry, together with the GFA, to constitute a team to re-assess the suitability of match venues for league matches across the country to agree on which venues meet the minimum standard per regulations.
He further directed the GFA to step up its “say no to hooliganism” campaign and enhance the education of all football fans, players and officials to comport themselves at match venues to forestall any future occurrence; adding that, he would continue to engage with the GFA regularly to enhance stadium attendance and bring football back to life.
The meeting concluded with the Hon Minister calling for the full cooperation and support of all stakeholders to improve Ghana Football and other sports.
He said that he believed in focusing on finding solutions to the challenges in Ghana sports, rather than apportioning blame.
